416 



NA TURE 



[March i, 1906 



elude that cases of resemblance between cuckoos' eggs 

 and those of the species in whose nests they are 

 deposited, are due to coincidence rendered possible 

 by a large degree of variation in the former." 

 Although digressions are not announced on the title, 

 the latter is wide enough to cover many things, and 

 many odd bits of out-of-the-way knowledge are woven 

 into this book, which is mainly concerned with birds. 

 A rather bitter attack on game preservers and sports- 

 men (with a slap at the army dropped in) is sand- 

 wiched between some most charming studies of wild 

 life and natural scenery, written in clear and powerful 

 and often quaint and humorous style. When has the 

 barn owl been more aptly described than in this pas- 

 sage? " Never a sound from wing or throat as it flaps 

 or'skims in the half-light, watching the ground with 

 its cat's eyes as it goes, until suddenly the silence is 

 startled by a single, rasping yell such as might make 

 the hair stand on the back of every mouse for a 



STUDIES OF CLOUDS. 1 



MR. CLAYDEN'S work will be a standard one for 

 all students of clouds. When the now inter- 

 national classification was first proposed by the late 

 Ralph Abercromby and the present writer, our pur- 

 pose was to devise a classification for common use at 

 all meteorological stations and in all the navies of the 

 world. It is evident that such a classification must be 

 simple and practicable. A great number of forms 

 must lead to constant errors when used by ordinary 

 observers. Therefore we only proposed the ten types 

 given now in the international cloud atlas. 



We were well aware, however, and expressed the 

 view in plain words, that these ten forms are not 

 sufficient for special studies of the transformation of 

 clouds or of the relations between cloud form and 

 weather. For these cases each of the ten great tvpes 

 must be divided into several subspecies, to which 

 proper names must be given. 



. — Cirro-nebula changing to c 



quarter of a mile around. The Arch-mouser is on the 

 trail, and such a master of his craft that he appears 

 at times to toot his horn in contempt of his quarry. 

 Or, is this sudden shriek used to start any mouse 

 that may be lurking below, so that when moving it 

 may be more readily discerned? " Mr. Boraston, too, 

 sometimes wants in know why. The eighteen photo- 

 graphs which illustrate this nicely got up volume are 

 almost beyond praise. We have --(lei ted this one for 

 reproduction, not because it is by any means the most 

 beautiful, but because of the cleverness with which 

 the whole of this rock, with its seaweed and its 

 oyster-catchers, ha, been focused; it will appeal 

 strongly to those who love our west coast and its 

 birds. The whole book will be welcomed and 

 treasured up by the great fraternity of British bird- 

 men. O. V. Aplin. 



NO 1896, VOL. 73] 



Various attempts have been made to extend the 

 scheme in this way. Abbe Maze in France, Prof. 

 Koppen in Germany, the Rev. F. L. Odenbach in 

 America, and, above all, the Rev. Clemenl Ley in 

 England, have proposed and defined more detailed 

 classifications; and Mr. Clayden has now in his cloud 

 studies taken a great step forward in this direction. 



The descriptions and the illustrations reproduced 

 from photographs are excellent, and everyone who is 

 accustomed to observe the ever-changing panorama 

 of skies will admire the large amount of exact ob- 

 servations given in this book. The book contains 

 reproductions of many typical cloud-forms and certain 

 intermediate forms showing the transformation of 

 one- cloud-form into another. 



1 "Cloud Studies" By Arthur W. Cbyden, M.A. Pp. xiii+iS 4 ; 61 

 plates. (Lond in: John Murray. 1905.) Price 12s. net. 



