BOOK NOTICES 187 
BOOK NOTICES. 
A History oF THE WHALE FISHERIES. By J. T. Jenkins, D.Sc., 
PhD: Wondon: EH. i and\G. Witherby, 1921.. Pp. 336: 
Price 18s. 
Although no better accounts of particular aspects of whaling 
have ever been written than the vivid narratives of the Edinburgh 
voyager and naturalist, William Scoresby, yet till now no one has 
attempted to give a bird’s-eye view of the industry and to trace the 
changes which have been necessary to keep it alive. Dr Jenkins’ 
excellent work follows whale-fishing in all parts of the world from the 
time of the Basque fisheries in the tenth century to the finner-hunting 
of to-day, and strikingly he brings out how time after time the history 
of the fisheries repeats itself. A fishery begins, it waxes to a climax of 
success, then it dwindles until some new stimulus—the discovery of a 
new whaling ground, the development of a new method, such as steam- 
propelled ships or the harpoon-gun—gives fresh life to the pursuit of 
the monsters of the deep. For the naturalist the story, in spite of its 
absorbing interest, is a sad one, for it is a recurring tale of the extirpation 
of one fine creature after another—the Greenland Whale, the Southern 
Sperm Whale, the Humpback, and now even the existence of the 
ubiquitous Finner is threatened in Antarctic as in northern seas. Surely 
“before it is too late, steps will be taken to control this ruthless 
destruction.” Dr Jenkins’ book contains many fine pictures of whaling 
at different periods. 
ANIMAL LIFE OF THE BritisH Is_tEs: A POCKET GUIDE TO THE 
MAMMALS, REPTILES, AND BATRACHIANS OF WAYSIDE AND 
WooDLanD. By Edward Step, F.L.S. With 111 Plates from 
Photographs, of which 48 are coloured. London: Frederick 
Warne) & Co, Ltd. Pp. vii+- 134: “Price ros, 6ds net. 
British naturalists have long felt the want of a concise and up-to-date 
account of the mammalian fauna of these islands, and this volume in 
some degree supplies the deficiency. It caters first of all for the 
interested observer and the young naturalist who wishes to recognise 
and know something of the habits of the creatures of the country-side, 
and for such no better guide could be supplied. The descriptions are 
accurate and sufficiently detailed to afford, along with the photographs, 
a reasonably sure indication of the identity of any British species of 
mammal, reptile, and amphibian ; and the notes on habits are full of 
sound and interesting information. Special mention ought to be made 
of the fine series of photographic reproductions which illustrate the work, 
and of the unique coloured photographs, which in most cases give a 
wonderfully accurate representation of the living animal. But on one 
point where the scientific naturalist wishes help the volume is weak, 
