240 Recent Literature. [a^h 



and afforded such endless enjoyment." The author has evidently pre- 

 pared this work because he felt that he had something useful to say, 

 and for this reason it will meet with a hearty welcome. — J. A. A. 



Ralfe's ' The Birds of the Isle of Man.' ' — The Isle of Man, with a 

 length of about thirty-two miles, and a maximum breadth of about thirteen, 

 affords a sharply circumscribed area of much interest for a monographer of 

 its bird life, and Mr. Ralfe has made a pleasing and instructive book upon 

 this well-chosen subject, which the publisher has brought out in an ex- 

 ceedingly attractive form. The geographical position of the Island — 

 only sixteen miles from the nearest point of the English coast — forbids 

 the expectation of much that is novel in its bird life. The number of 

 species recorded is 183, of which almost exactly one half nest on the island, 

 while 75 are permanently resident. 



The author writes from a life-long residence on the island and intimate 

 familiarity with every portion of it; and in treating of its avifauna he 

 states that he has endeavored to emphasize every bird that is "peculiar 

 to it, or characteristic of it, as Manx; and to such species as have special 

 interest (from their general rarity as British or otherwise) particular at- 

 tention has been directed, and the account of their haunts and habits in 

 Man made as complete as possible." An introduction of forty pages gives 

 a detailed description of its topographic features, with pertinent notes on 

 the fauna and flora; ' a history of Manx ornithology '; ' Migration in Man '; 

 'Manx bird names'; and a list in tabular form of all the species of birds 

 known to have occurred on the island within the last century, with indica- 

 tions of their manner of occurrence, as to whether resident, migratory, or 

 casual visitors. Two excellent large-scale maps show (1) the relation of 

 the Isle of Man to the surrounding countries, and (2) the island itself, with 

 contour lines and colors denoting the topographic features. The half- 

 hundred full-page photographic plates further illustrate characteristic 

 scenic features and the nesting places and eggs of many species of birds. 



A detailed biographical account of the species as Manx birds occupies 

 nearly three hundred pages, and contains, besides the exposition of pres- 

 ent conditions, much valuable historic matter. Indeed, such a book as 

 becomes in itself a historic landmark, to which future generations will 

 refer as a standard for the comparison of later conditions with those here 

 so faithfully chronicled. The history of the Manx Shearwater, as a bird 

 of the Isle of Man, is traced from the time of Willughby and Ray (middle 

 of the 17th century) to its extinction there early in the last century, ap- 

 parently through the wholesale destruction of its eggs and young. This 

 admirable monograph properly concludes with a bibliography, a transcript 

 of the various game acts that relate to Manx birds, and an index. — J. A. A. 



> The Birds ! of the | Isle of Man | By P. G. Ralfe | Member of the British Orni- 

 thologists Union | Edinburgh. David Douglas. 1905. — 8vo, pp. i-lv, 1-321, 2 

 maps, illustrated title-page, and 50 half-tone plates. 18 s. net. 



