December 29, 1904] 



NA TURE 



hensiveness of outlook it would not have been difficult 

 to improve the chapter on the " Faunal Position " of 

 the area in question ; and even in regard to the par- 

 ticular factors which Mr. Harvie-Brown emphasises 

 in his interpretation of the faunistic peculiarities of the 

 areas, his " argument," as he calls it, appears to ustoo 

 jerky and elliptical to win conviction. But he gives 

 some references to papers dealing with the physio- 

 graphical conditions in some detail. 



Turning to the list of mammals — which is somewhat 

 mournful — we find that there is only one bat, the 

 pipistrelle; the hedgehog, the lesser shrew, and tht 

 water-shrew are rare ; the true wild cat still lingers ; 

 foxes, once very numerous, are now scarce ; the marten, 

 once abundant, is trembling in the balance between 

 irarity and extinction ; the polecat has become decidedly 

 rare ; a colony of badgers still persists ; the rabbit, intro- 

 duced about 1850, is in many places taking a rapid — 

 lamentably rapid— hold of newly afforested grounds; 

 and so on. The chief value of such 

 information lies in the precision with 

 which it records increase or decrease, 

 ('.!,'. of squirrel and polecat, within a 

 term of years, and thus illustrates 

 evolutionary processes going on around 

 us. 



W'e need hardly refer to the records 

 of adder, lizard, and slow worm, of 

 frog and toad, and two newts; but we 

 may be allowed to note, without being 

 •captious, that the title on the back of 

 the book and on the beautiful frontis- 

 piece, " A Fauna of the North-West 

 Highlands and Skve," is somewhat 

 too big for the volume, which deals 

 with mammals, birds, reptiles, and 

 amphibians, and no more. 



The most entertaining part of the 

 book is that which deals with the birds, 

 in regard to which the authors speak 

 from rich experience and with infec- 

 tious enthusiasm. There is naturally 

 'enough a dominant noie personnel, but 

 it is always pleasant, even when the 

 Information given does not seem very 

 important. Among the rare visitors 

 we may mention the lesser whitethroat, 

 the barred warbler, the nuthatch, the 

 golden oriole, the great grey shrike, 

 the waxwing, the rose-coloured pastor, 

 the roller, the hoopoe, the osprey, the 

 bittern, Pallas 's sand-grouse, the red- 

 necked phalarope, the great crested 

 grebe, and the fulmar. Among the 

 most interesting residents are the 

 ■chough, the raven, the hen-harrier, the 

 sea-eagle, the rock dove, and the 

 ptarmigan. This section is rich in his- 

 torical material, e.g. in regard to the 

 starling, the golden eagle, the sea- 

 ^'agle, the osprey, the grey lag goose, and the 

 fulmar. Apart from their historical interest, the 

 notes on the birds are full of interesting observa- 

 tions, and some of the descriptions by the late 

 Mr. MacPherson are fine pieces of picturesque writing. 

 Mr. Harvie-Brown gives here and there an inkling 

 of his strong views on bird protection ; thus, " the 

 Bird Acts require steady and relentless revision and 

 ■change. The idea of saving trouble at Westminster 

 and County Council and Sheriff Courts, by dividing 

 Great Scotland into two divisions — north and south — 

 for all species mentioned in these Acts, is absurd, and 

 appears to me to be eminently calculated to defeat all 

 useful purposes of the Acts." 



NO. 1835, VOL. 71] 



The book is beautifully got up and illustrated, and 

 though, unfortunately, somewhat of a luxury, is sure 

 to be welcomed by those who are interested in the 

 wild life of Scotland. Its mood is one that will foster 

 interest in open-air natural history, and the thorough- 

 ness of its lists should help to lessen the ruthless 

 killing of supposed rarities. J. .\. T. 



A NATURALIST IN SARAWAK.' 



NEARLY forty years ago Dr. Beccari, the well 

 known traveller-naturalist, made extensive 

 journeys in Sarawak, but not until now has he pub- 

 lished an account of his experiences; indeed, for this 

 volume we have to thank the Ranee, H.H. Lady 

 Brooke, who wisely urged Dr. Beccari to give the 

 public the benefit of his knowledge, for, as she justly 

 stated, the conditions have practically remained un- 

 changed from times unknown. 



—Adult Male Mayas Tjaping. 



Dr. Beccari collected in the land of the Land Dyaks, 

 of the Sea Dyaks, and of the Kayans, not to mention 

 less numerous peoples, and he gives a first-hand 

 account of the people, their houses, dress, weapons, and 

 ways. All this is very interesting reading, but there 

 is iittle, if anything, that has not been recorded in 

 Ling Roth's great compilation "The Natives of 

 Sarawak and British North Borneo," or in the writings 

 of more recent travellers. Indeed, it is the great fault 

 of this book that the numerous contributions that have 

 of late years been made^ to the natural history and 



1 "Wanderings in the Great Forests of Borneo: Travels and Researched 

 of a Naturalist in Sarawak." By O. Beccari- '1 ranslated by Dr. E. H 

 Giglioli, and revised and edited by F. H. H. Guillemard. Pd. xxiv+424 

 illustrated. (London : A. Constable and Co., 1904.) Price 16s. net 



