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BOOK NOTICES:^ LIBRAE y ^,J29 



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BOOK NOTICES. 



Life of Alfred Newton. By A. F. R. Wollaston. London : 

 John Murray, 192 1. Pp. xiv + 332. With illustrations. Price 

 i8s. net. 



As explained in an introductory note, circumstances have conspired 

 to delay the publication of this volume till fourteen years have come and 

 gone since the subject of it passed away. The absence of an authorhative 

 " Life " of Alfred Newton, perhaps the most outstanding of British 

 ornithologists, was a real want. Now that Mr Wollaston's memoir has 

 at last appeared, one can, after perusal, cordially recommend it to all 

 who are interested in matters relating to birds, as well worthy of a place 

 on their book-shelves. To do full justice to the character and the 

 prolonged and varied activities of such a man as Professor Newton, 

 in the limited space of little more than three hundred pages, was 

 hardly possible ; but the author has succeeded in compressing into that 

 space sufficient material (drawn largely from Newton's voluminous 

 correspondence, thus giving the book much of the nature of an auto- 

 biography) to enable the reader to form an all-round conception of one 

 who, to quote from Sir Archibald Geikie's preface, " was for more than 

 half a century a leader among the naturalists of this country." The 

 extent to which his advice and help were sought, and freely given, may 

 be gathered from the letters selected for reproduction. Migration and 

 bird-protection were subjects in which he was deeply interested, and to 

 the consideration of which he devoted much time and energy. On the 

 latter problem he held strong views, which present-day legislators would 

 do well to ponder. " Area-protection," rather than the scheduling of 

 species, was what he advocated. 



Like other men, Newton had his failings, but, as readers of the 

 " Life " will perceive, inaccuracy was certainly not one of them. 

 Accuracy in observation and in statement was with him a ruling 

 principle ; and the necessity of cultivating this virtue cannot, In these 

 days of record-making, be too strongly emphasised. 



A useful list of Newton's papers and other publications is given in an 

 appendix. The first entry is fromi \h& Zoologist iox 1854. Years before 

 that, however, he regularly contributed notes on migration and other 

 subjects to that magazine. 



Should the " Life " reach a second edition, there are a few mistakes 

 that would have to be corrected. In the introductory note, Harvie- 

 Brown is called James E. instead of John A. ; other slips are : — 

 Edwards (pp. 202, 203) for Edward, Edmunston (p. 144) for Edmond- 

 ston, Gye-Falcon (p. 263) for Gyr-Falcon, and Hychier (p. 285) for 

 Hyskier. 



