December 22, 1904J 



NATURE 



179 



of his researches and of that of his predecessors is the 

 record of this branch of the museums, and also of the 

 debt which knowledge owes, and must ever owe, to 

 the influence of one of the most remarkable of the 

 pioneer laboratories and great European 

 centres of scientific work. 



John Butler Burke. 



How successful have been the results, both from the 

 literary and the artistic point of view, readers of his 

 book will not, we venture to think, be long in de- 

 ciding. To whet their appetites, we herewith reproduce 



THE 



" NATU RE-STUDY 

 BIRDS.' 



OF 



T'HIS book fulfils the chief conditions \vc 

 have previously insisted upon as being 

 essential in all new works relating to the 

 birds of the British Isles, in that it is 

 original, interesting, exquisitely illustrated 

 from living subjects, and not burdened with 

 technical names. Indeed, the latter are con- 

 spicuous by their complete absence, thereby, 

 no doubt, rendering the volume much more 

 acceptable to readers of all classes than it 

 would have been had it included the usual 

 superfluous intercalations in bracketed 

 italics. Mr. Boraston, it appears, took to 

 the " nature-study " of birds comparatively 

 late in life, and in his case it may be truly 

 said " better late than never," for had he 

 never done so lovers of nature in general, 

 and of birds in particular, would have been 

 deprived of a very charming volume contain- 

 ing a number or fresh ideas and suggestive ''"^• 

 observations. Having once decided to take 

 up the outdoor study of bird-life, the author entered 

 on his task with characteristic energy, and at once saw- 

 how essential it was for him to follow in the steps of 

 the Messrs. Kearton and to employ the camera to 

 perpetuate the scenes that he so much enjoyed if his 



. — Young Ringed Plovers crouching. Fri 



' Birdi by Land and Se 



work was to be one that would appeal successfully to 

 the public. 



1 " Birds by Land and Sea : the Record of a Year's Work with Field 

 glass and Camera." By J. M. Boraston. Pp. xiv-f-282 ; illustrated. 

 (London : John Lane, 1905) Price 10s. 6ii. net. 



a couple of the illustrations, all of which, by the way, 

 are taken from the author's own photographs. 



The volume opens with the latter of what the author 

 terms the two critical periods of bird-life, namely, 

 March and September, when the migratory species 

 are in the thick of their departure from or 

 arrival at the British Islands. From Sep- 

 tember until May the seasonal observations 

 of the year forming the subject of the volume 

 relate to the bird-li'e of the neighbourhood 

 of the author's home at Stretford, near Man- 

 chester, but during June the scene is trans- 

 ferred to the wild coast of Anglesea and 

 Puffin Island, while in July and .August we 

 once more return to the home district. 

 Perhaps the .Anglesea interlude forms the 

 most interesting part of the volume; but 

 whether on a holiday or whether at home, 

 the author seems to be endowed with a 

 marvellous capacity for work, both in the 

 matter of making and recording observ- 

 ations and in taking photographs. 



On the wild cliffs of .\nglesea, as we are 

 told on p. 210, "stalking" birds for the 

 purpose of taking their portraits by a well 

 planned snap-shot demands a considerable 

 -.»w^j amount of coolness and steadiness on the 



_i_Tl part of the observer, as if he becomes too 

 much absorbed in the object of his pursuit 

 awkward accidents are likely to occur; and 

 even if such undesirable contingencies are 

 successfullv avoided, disappointments from 

 "~ unsuspected or unavoidable causes are only 



too likely in many instances to annul the 

 results of all the toil and trouble. Who, 

 for instance, will fail to commiserate 

 the authui- on having lost the chance of " snapping " 

 a sitting nightjar (p. 202), from the fact that he 

 actually did not sec the bird for some seconds, and 

 then, when "his eyes were opened," the camera 

 slipped? 



NO. 1834, VOL. 71] 



