378 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
British Birds’ Eggs: a Handbook of British Oology. By A. G. 
Buruer, F.L.S., F.Z.8. Parts I.—III. 8vo. London: 
HK. W. Janson. 1886. 
Jupaine by the many unsuccessful attempts which have been 
made to give accurately coloured representations of birds’ eggs, 
the conclusion is forced upon us that no natural objects can be 
more difficult to delineate. The following English authors’ 
names occur to us in connection with the subject: Adams, 
Atkinson, Bree, Hewitson, Jennings, Laishley, Meyer, Morris, 
Newton, and Seebohm ; and yet of all these not more than three 
can be said to have produced coloured plates of eggs which are 
so accurate as to be capable of identification without recourse to 
the letterpress (for this after all is the test of excellence), and 
none of them, in our opinion, are comparable to Baedeker, whose 
work, ‘ Die Hier der Europiischen Végel,’ published a quarter of 
a century ago, has in point of illustration never been excelled. 
In view of the recently published work of Mr. Seebohm, 
which in the case of most of the larger eggs contains figures 
more accurately coloured than those in Hewitson’s work, it was 
a bold step on the part of Mr. Butler to bring out another 
* eoo-book”’ so soon; for, while he could hardly expect in the 
letterpress to add anything to the information already supplied by 
so experienced a collector as Mr. Seebohm, it would be extremely 
difficult, in the present state of lithography in England, to im- 
prove upon that author’s plates. His incompetency, indeed, for 
such a task he has himself frankly admitted. In his Introduction 
(p. vii), he says:—‘‘ Nearly the whole of my collecting having 
been done in Kent [!], and for the most part inland, there was 
little opportunity either of collecting eggs of many of the larger 
birds, or learning anything by personal experience respecting 
their nidification ; it therefore became necessary to draw largely 
upon the experience of many excellent observers whose ornitho- 
logical works were at my disposal.” 
How far he has succeeded will be best judged by those who 
are familiar with the work of his immediate predecessor in the 
same line. We will not make minute comparisons, but candour 
compels us to say that so far as his work has progressed (three 
parts are before us as we write) hardly one of the plates can be 
considered satisfactory, and some of the figures are undoubted 
failures. We must admit, however, that the plates in Part III. 
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