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Reviews



From these it spread to eggs that were thoroughly clean, and had

been years in my trays ; and I noticed recently that all my exchange

eggs, all of which had been collected at least ten years, but were where

dust could reach them, were infected.—Louis B. Bishop.


A Tame Seagull. —A tame Seagull used to live in a garden not far

from here. There was a freshwater lake on which he swam about,

and followed his owner when fishing. He would stand on the lawn

calling while a fish was being caught for him. He was quite tame,

and great friends with the lad and dogs. His wing had been broken

at some time, and as he could not fly he resigned himself to his fate,

and became very attached to his owner. I am sorry to say he has

gone the way of all pets and is much missed.— Eileen Staveley-Hill.



REVIEWS


Bird Behaviour : Psychical and Physiological. By Frank Finn.


]ip. x, 363, with 44 illustrations. London : Hutchinson & Co.

1919. Price Is. 6d.


The widespread and growing interest in bird-life, which is such

a pleasant feature of the times, will ensure for this work a favourable

reception, and it deserves it, for the author has brought together an

amount of facts that is truly surprising, and in spite of a somewhat

loose arrangement of the subject-matter his work is full of interest.


Whilst fully agreeing with Mr. Finn’s remarks upon the attitude

displayed by many zoologists towards the study of birds, ornithologists

we feel have themselves largely to blame; for in the past, and to a much

lesser degree at present, they have been content with the publication

of dull and uninteresting local lists, or absorbed in recording local and

other rarities. There are other sides of bird-life much more important,

as the author recognizes, and the ways and habits and general behaviour

of birds are, to my mind, not only of greater importance but much

more interesting.


To some of Mr. Finn’s statements we can hardly subscribe, e.g.

he writes, “ taking the class of birds as a whole, a beautiful bird

never lays a beautiful egg, and vice versci.” How about the Chaffinch,



