116 Recent Literature. [jan. 



the preface is ' A Short Revision of the past Volumes of this Series ' (pp. 

 xvii-xxi), and this is succeeded by 'Annals of the Perthshire Society of 

 Natural Science,' by the president of the Society, Henry Cootes (pp. xxii- 

 xxviii). The next sixty pages are devoted to a detailed account of the 

 topography of the Tay Basin, which comprises a larger area than any other 

 river system in Scotland, comprising "some 3250 square miles. The 

 physical, faunal and floral features of its mountains, glens, and lochs are 

 given at length, with especial reference to their ornithology. The influ- 

 ences governing the dispersal of species, especially in Scotland, are also 

 considered. In the main text of the ' Fauna ' the mammals occupy about 

 sixty pages, the birds about three hundred, and the reptiles and Amphibia 

 about six. 



The fauna of the higher parts of Scotland has a decidedly arctic tinge, 

 through the presence in the breeding season as such birds as the Wheatear, 

 Snowflake, Ptarmigan, Red-necked Phalarope, Whimbrel, Greenshank, 

 Skua, Black-throated Loon, Fulmar Petrel, and various northern breeding 

 ducks. 



As Mr. Harvie-Brown is not a 'splitter,' it is of interest to note that he 

 is able to recognize "three fairly distinct phases of coloration [in the Song 

 Thrush (Turdus musicus)] in Scotland alone, viz.: the very dark insular 

 and western form universal in the Outer Hebrides; the ordinary olive- 

 backed bird of our shrubberries and mainland hedgerows; and the very 

 light sand coloured bird of our eastern seaboard"; these phases being due, 

 as he believes, to the effects of climate, or of isolation and climate com- 

 bined. 



The number of species of birds in the Tay Basin is not stated, but the 

 records have evidently been exhaustively examined, and notable fluctua- 

 tions in the numerical representation of several species at different periods 

 is frequently the subject of comment. Some species have sensibly in- 

 creased at certain localities, while many have greatly decreased. The 

 comparatively recent increase of the Starling, and its recent wide dispersal 

 over parts of Scotland where it was formerly rare or unknown is noted 

 at length. At present he says: "Except high up among the mountains 

 and in out-of-the-way places, the distribution has become almost universal, 

 and the time may not be far removed when the great armies will coalesce. 

 Then, if I may continue to speak a little metaphorically — ' Then shall 

 come the Deluge.'" 



'A Fauna of the Tay Basin' is prepared with the same care and vast 

 amount of historic research that has characterized the previous volumes 

 of this admirable series, with which it conforms in typographical execution, 

 reflecting the good taste and liberality of Mr. David Douglas, the well- 

 known publisher of this important series of faunal works. The illustra- 

 tions are especially worthy of note. Eight of the photogravure plates 

 are portraits of local naturalists of note; others show the nests or the nest-v 

 ing haunts of birds, or illustrate characteristic or interesting scenic features. 

 The text illustrations are also photogravures and mostly views of lochs or 



