128 NATURAL SCIENCE. Feb., 



one-third, belong to the group " Orbitelariae " (i.e., those spiders 

 whose snares are of an orbicular or wheel-shape). Four other groups, 

 the " Retitelariae," " Citigradae," " Laterigradae," and " Saltigradae," 

 number 218 species, in about equal proportions; this at once indicates 

 the nature of the collecting-work as yet effected in the region in 

 question. The spiders of all the five groups named are those which 

 obtrude themselves at every step upon the most casual observer. By 

 far the greater number of species have to be searched for with 

 diligence and the expenditure of much time and labour, and the results 

 would probably be, in general, found to represent largely the groups 

 so very scantily, as yet, recorded from Burma. Three hundred and 

 eighty-one species, though a very respectable and valuable total, can 

 scarcely be a fourth part of what Burma possesses and would 

 probably yield to a careful and systematic search. It is to be hoped, 

 therefore, that Mr. Oates will renew his researches, especially keeping 

 in view those species that require to be searched for in the most unin- 

 viting places, and that we may have another volume upon the results 

 from Dr. Thorell's pen, and well illustrated ; under such conditions, the 

 history of the Burmese spiders would be very complete and valuable — 

 more so, perhaps, than that of any country whose spider-fauna has as 

 yet been separately published. O. Pickard-Cambridge. 



BlRDS'-NESTING WITH THE CAMERA. 



British Birds' Nests ; How, Where, and When to Find Them. By R. Kearton. 

 Illustrated from photographs by C. Kearton. Crown 8vo. Pp. i.-xx., 1-368. 

 London : Cassell & Co. Price 21s. • 



The romance of birds'-nesting exercises a magnetic attraction over 

 many minds. We have clambered along the crags of beetling 

 precipices, creeping on hands and feet where it was impossible to 

 walk ; have waded breast-high through swollen torrents ; and have 

 spent our nights under the open sky, in order to gratify our passion 

 for gazing on nests that were new to us. Our small share of success 

 affords the happiest reminiscences. So it is with hundreds of 

 enthusiastic ornithologists. Most of them have since regretted that 

 they had no opportunity of photographing the eggs and nests which 

 rewarded their rambles over lonely islets or mist-wrapped hills. It 

 was therefore an excellent idea of Messrs. Kearton to present the 

 public with a series of about one hundred full-page plates from 

 nature. The book is professedly intended as a guide to finding the 

 nests of British birds. We should feel sorry if, by any chance, it 

 gave a new impetus to the destructive custom of forming private 

 collections of the eggs of our native birds. But though we look in 

 vain for any protest against egg-grabbing from our author, 

 Mr. R. Kearton, he has given us a pleasant running commentary on 

 the plumage and habits of many familiar species. His text has the 

 merit of being arranged with lucidity. At the same time, we feel a 

 little regret that the proof-sheets were not corrected by some well 

 known and accurate ornithologist. We should then have been spared 

 the ungrateful task of pointing out that the letterpress requires 

 further revision. For example, if Mr. Kearton was not aware that 

 the female of the dotterel is the brighter of the two sexes, he should 

 have consulted some recent authority instead of stating the exact 

 contrary. Similarly, if he did not know much about the plumage of 

 the partridge, he might have consulted Mr. Ogilvie-Grant's papers 

 on the subject, instead of volunteering the mistaken dictum that the 

 female of this common bird does not assume the dark horseshoe until 



