Recently piihli shed Ornithological Works. 169 



the Golden Eagle — iu fact it is met with throughout the 

 world." 



This is the sort of loose statement that discredits the 

 whole book — the little knowledge the publication of which 

 is not only misleading but does much harm. 



It would be interesting to learn what authority there is 

 for stating that a Grouse from the south of Ireland '' turned 

 the scales at no less than two and a half pounds.^' The 

 record, so far as we are aware, is one of 34 ozs. ; but 

 40 ozs. ! (p. 146). It must have been a muckle Grouse. 



The author's remarks on the supposed occurrence of the 

 Eock-Ptarmigan, Lagopus rupestris, in Sutherland are 

 amusing (p. 127). It would be interesting to know how 

 he distinguishes between females of L. mutus and L. rupes- 

 tris in breeding plumage. Apparently he can do so quite 

 easily. We are told that the " true Ptarmigan " occurs in 

 the Altai Range, etc., and in Japan, though it is well-known 

 that only the Rock-Ptarmigan is found there : also that 

 " it seems to be absent from the Himalayas and the Andes.'' 



The author evidently considers that, in the interests of 

 photography, it is lawful to hustle a Goosander off her 

 eggs, causing her to break one and no doubt forsake them, 

 or to bundle a half-fledged family of young Crested Titmice 

 out of their nest ; but he regards it as a sin that a few 

 specimens of the latter species (we find on enquiry at the 

 British Museum there were only five) should have been 

 collected with the landowner's permission for the National 

 Collection for strictly scientific purposes. 



Of the Woodcock he writes: — "When the blackberries 

 have ripened, the Woodcock betake themselves to the hill- 

 sides and consume great quantities of the fruit " (p. 160). 



No proof of this amazing statement is offei-ed. When is 

 a Woodcock not a Woodcock ? When it's a Blackcock or 

 Grouse. 



Surely no good Scotchman want's to talk of "Scots" 

 firs ! 



These are only a few instances of the book's imper- 

 fections. 



