^^1908^^] Recent Literature. 243 



Bonhote's 'Birds of Britain."— This book gives colored illustrations of 

 108 species of British birds, forming 100 plates, reproduced, generally 

 satisfactorily, from Mr. Keulemau's originals, selected for this work by 

 H. E. Dresser from the illustrations of his well-known 'Birds of Europe.' 

 The author tells us that the work includes "every species which has been 

 known to occur in Great Britain, with a description of their leading char- 

 acteristics and true habitat . . . . ; and the plates have been carefully selected 

 so as to give examples of the most typical species." The "notes on their 

 ways and habits," we are also informed, have "been taken at first hand 

 straight from Nature." The biographies are for the most part pleasantly 

 written, and though generally short, serve, with the colored plates, to make 

 an attractive book for the general reader interested in British birds. — 

 J. A. A. 



'British Birds.' — 'British Birds'^ is the name of a new illustrated 

 monthly magazine devoted entirely to the study of the birds of the British 

 Isles. The first number bears date June 1, 1907, and it has already shown 

 abundant raison d'etre. It is edited by H. F. Witherby, assisted by W. P. 

 Pycraft, and evidently has the earnest support of many of the leading 

 British ornithologists. "It shall be one of our chief aims," say the editors, 

 "but not by any means our only aim, to provide in these pages, month 

 by month, a current hi.story of British birds. Much will come, we trust, 

 by first-hand contributions, but we shall also glean, from every published 

 source available, whatever is likely to prove of permanent value .... Besides 

 reviews and notices of books dealing with British birds, we intend to pub- 

 lish each month a list as complete as possible of all the books on the sub- 

 ject which have appeared during the month." 



The opening article of the first number is a paper by the late Howard 

 Saunders on ' Additions .to the List of British Birds since 1899,' or since 

 the appearance of the second edition of this author's 'Illustrated Manual 

 of British Birds,' since which date "twenty additional species have estab- 

 lished more or less claim to inclusion." The records are given in detail 

 for each. "A Study of the Home Life of the Osprey,' by P. H. Bahr, is 

 based on the observations of a colony, in July, 1903, "on an island not a 

 hundred miles from New York City," and is illustrated with several half- 

 tone plates and text cuts. The first number also contains a paper by P. L. 

 Sclater 'On a supposed new British Tit of the genus Parus,' P. atri- 

 cristatiis kleinschmidti (Hellm.) Hartert, in which he suggests that further 

 explanations are desirable respecting its real status. These are furnished 



1 Birds of Britain | By | J. Lewis Bonhote | M. A., F. L. S., F. Z. S. | Member of the 

 British Ornithologists' Union | With | 100 IlUistrations in Colour \ selected by | 

 H. E. Dresser | from his 'Birds of Europe' | [Monorgam] London | Adam and Charles 

 Black I 1907 — 8vo, pp. i-xii + 1-40.5, 100 col. pll. Price, 20s. (post free, 20/6). 



2 British Birds, an Illustrated Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List. 

 326 High Holborn, London: Witherby & Co. — 8vo, about 32 pp. to the number, 

 with half-tone plates and text illustrations. Monthly. Price one .shilling net. 



