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 NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



Rough Notes on the Birds observed during twenty years shooting 

 and collecting in the British Islands. By E. T. Booth. 

 With plates from drawings by E. Neale, taken from speci- 

 mens in the Author's possession. 4to, Part I. London : 

 Porter, Tenterden Street ; and Dulau & Co., Soho Square. 

 1881. 



It may well be supposed, after so many years' personal 

 observation of many of the rarer British birds in their natural 

 haunts, that Mr. Booth must have a considerable store of infor- 

 mation on what the late Mr. Timbs would have called "things 

 not generally known." 



The public are already indebted to him for the privilege 

 of being able to inspect what is in its way one of the most 

 instructive zoological museums in this country, namely, his own 

 museum of British birds, every one of which has been procured 

 by himself, .and preserved and cased under his direction. A 

 printed catalogue, which is placed at the disposal of visitors, 

 gives the names of the species in the different cases, together 

 with the locality where each was obtained ; but something more 

 than this seemed needed. One longed to know under what 

 circumstances some of the rarer species were met with, in what 

 sort of situation, and how obtained ; for their shyness of habit or 

 wariness by nature seemed to indicate that a great deal of trouble 

 and skill must have been expended before they were eventually 

 secured. 



As many of them also were tracked to their nesting-haunts, 

 and their eggs and young carefully observed and described in the 

 collector's note-book, it was reasonable to infer that Mr. Booth 

 could clear up sundry disputed points, or rectify, from personal 

 observation, errors into which even authors of repute have been 

 betrayed for want of the opportunities of observation which he 

 has enjoyed. 



Fortunately for naturalists there appears to be no difficulty 

 in satisfying their curiosity, for Mr. Booth has kept daily records 

 of his experiences, and a reference to his journal enables him 

 to avoid all such mistakes as might occur from trusting solely to 

 memory. 



