Revieivs



33



their nature. But, of course, I cannot trust them again. The White

Asiatic Crane in particular is a great egg thief, and will search the

nest-boxes (on the ground) for Ducks’ nests.—W. H. St. Quintin.



REVIEWS


The Book of a Naturalist. By W. H. Hudson. Hodder and

Stoughton. London, 1919. Price 12s. net.


Birds are not conspicuous in Mr. Hudson’s new book, which

deals more with dogs and serpents, toads and fritillaries, bats and

potatoes, green lawns and the worms that help to keep them green.

But there is enough to give it a welcome place on the shelves of

every aviculturist—that is to say, if the aviculturist be broad¬

minded, ready to rejoice in the observations of a naturalist who hates

birds in cages. Temperamental Mr. Hudson does not conceal his

dislikes, and flicks the raw spots with an accurate aim ; but in the

present volume he is amiable, at least so far as lovers of birds are

concerned. His only reference to birds in cages is the story of a

Thrush, sedulously but not very wisely tended. One day, so

Mr. Hudson’s informant relates, the Thrush in the cage was observed

to watch intently and excitedly a wild Thrush on the lawn killing

and devouring a worm. The owner took the hint, added worms to

the diet of rape-seed and bread and milk, and the tame Thrush,

hitherto moping and dishevelled, rapidly became a happy and a

glossy bird. It is a ‘‘tall” story, but an excellent lesson. A little

knowledge of natural diet is quite a good thing for those who keep

creatures in captivity.


Mr. Hudson, discussing life in a pine-wood, raises an interesting

problem which deserves further study. How do nestlings escape the

attacks of ants ? He collected evidence—some from essays written

by children for the competitions of the Royal Society for the Pro¬

tection of Birds—that living nestlings are sometimes overpowered

by raiding ants. He suggests that ants do not visit every tree,

and that the parent birds usually select trees which they know not

to be searched by ants. This seems a doubtful theory, ascribing



