liiblioijraphical Notice. .'i.'^.'J 



is wlictlior it 1)0 u [i.-ik-r, f;r('yer form of rosdrnfuria, witli 

 Mliich it ajircfs in structuri*, unless i)rrlia[)s the fore win^; Ij(; 

 Kli;ilitly more pointed ; in both, the wings arc tlistinctly 

 elongate, the termcn of the fore wing long. 



[To bo continued.] 



lUUhlOGUAPIllCAL NOTICE. 

 The Bioh'ii/ of Birds. 



A Ilittorif of Binls, By W. P. PrcRAFT, Zoolo'^ical Department, 

 Jirifish Museum. AVith an Introduction by Sir Kay Lankf.stkk, 

 K.C.H., r.K.S. Pp. xxx-f ^'j.s. ^Vith :iy 'plates and numerous 

 Figures. Methuon & Co., London, lUiO. Price 10a. (Jc/. 



Amonu the many books on birds this new one by Mr. Pyoraft 

 occupies a distinctive place. It is, we believe, quite by itself — u 

 Biology of birds, permeated through and through with the P>olution- 

 idca. For just as the theologian sees everything 9nh specie (rlerni- 

 tatis, so the post-Darwinian biologist sees everything sub specie 

 (vohitionis. So many zoological books have encouraged our hopes 

 in their prefaces by declaring their intention to give prominence to 

 habit<j and history, and have soon dashed them to the ground by 

 adopting a thoroughly statical mode of treatment, that we almost 

 expected that Mr. Py craft would likewise fall victim to his specialisms, 

 and give us a beautiful treatise on comparative osteology with the 

 bird as a natural climax. We hope that he will do this by and by, 

 for he has a rare osteological insight ; but we are glad that he has 

 kept true to his biological programme, and worked it out with so 

 much success. There was need for a book of this kind, and we 

 liave now a jwsteriori as well as u j'riori reasons for knowing that 

 Mr. Pycraft was the man to write it. 



Let us tirst indicate the scope and arrangement of the book. 

 The introductory chapter discusses the structure and internal 

 functions of liirds, tlie second their pedigree, the third their clnssifi- 

 cation, or, rather, the linesof tlcir evolution. Then follow chapterson 

 gropraphical distribution, the seasonal punctuation of the bird's life, 

 and migration. Inter-relations between birds and other organisms, 

 between birds of diflcreut kinds, and between the members of a bird- 

 community form the subject of a natural group of three chapters. 

 The author then i)aBses to the relations of the sexes, the not, the 

 eggs, the care of the young, the adaptations of nestlings— another 

 fine scries. A chapter on development and life-history, considered 

 in their broad ODCologieal aspects, leads on to variations, modifica- 

 tions, natural selection, sexual selection, and isolation — a series 

 that makes in itself a vivid introduction to the study of evolution. 

 Having discussed the raw materials of evolution and the directive 

 factors, Mr. Pycraft returns to the results achieved — the adapta- 

 tions, both ttatie and dynamic, that are so conspicuous in a highly 

 evolved class such as birds. The volume concludes with a chapter on 



