11:4 BihUographical Notices. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Birds by Land and Sea. By John Maclair Boeaston. 

 London : Joliu Lane, 1905. 



"Heavens! Another bird-book!" was the first exclamation which 

 escaped us on unpacking this volume. But a glance at the beautiful 

 illustrations which are copiouslj- distributed throughout its pages 

 soon conviuccd us that the book had at least one redeeming feature. 

 Later, when we came to play the critic, we discovered that this was 

 a work of real excellence, a perfectly charming series of essays, one 

 for each month of the year. 



The author seems to have written out of sheer love of his suTy'ect, 

 rather than with a view of writing a book which, perchance, might 

 "sell." His enthusiasm is infectious ! 



Possessing an unusual facility of expression the author is able to 

 make even the most everyday fact of his subject interesting. Keen 

 insight and power of interpretation are everywhere apparent in 

 these essays, while here and there he is able to show his less 

 fortunate brother naturalists something of the mysteries of the 

 inner life of birds which are but rarely to be encountered. His 

 observations, for example, respecting the migration of the starlings 

 and his notes on their " pairing flights " are new to us. 



The author's comments on the evils unfortunately inflicted on 

 our native avifauna by the game-preserver are peculiarly to the 

 point and have our most cordial sympathy. ISTever has the case 

 been stated more clearly or more forcibly. He also inflicts a 

 well-merited castigation on a certain Field " Naturalists' " (!) Club, 

 whose conduct at Puffin Island ill-agreed with their title to the 

 claim of " Naturalists." 



Valuable hints on the methods of one of the most difficult 

 branches of photography — the photography of living birds — are 

 dropped incidentally by the author, and for these many who read 

 this book will be grateful. 



Books by what we may call camera -naturalists are legion, but 

 this is one of the very best that has yet appeared. 



W. P. Pycraft. 



Our Countries Animals, and how to hiow them. By W. J. Gordon. 

 London : Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. (n. d.). 



This volume is the last of the series which have appenred under the 

 above title. We suppose it will bo useful to some people, and, so 

 far as we have examined it, it appears to be fairly accurate; but 

 we would point out that the metapterygoid has nothing to do with 

 the quadrate bone, the astragalus and calcaneum are not metatarsal 



