30 
NATURE 
[SEPTEMBER 14, 1916 
BIRDS IN STUDIO AND ON THE 
HILLSIDE.1 
(1) ft E second volume of Mr. Thorburn’s beau- 
tiful book includes the rest of the crows, 
the larks, the picarian birds, the diurnal birds of 
prey, the owls, cormorants, and some of the 
herons. Many of these are large birds, and it 
has not been possible to figure 
so many of them on one plate. 
Two species—the golden eagle 
and the eagle owl—have plates 
to themselves, and these are most 
beautiful pictures. Mr, Thorburn 
is very successful with owls, 
which must be most difficult birds 
to paint, and he is famous for his 
pictures of eagles. The golden 
eagle is drawn flying along a 
steep hillside and carrying a 
mountain hare. The author 
writes that when an eagle is fly- 
ing “the curious notched pinion 
feathers may be clearly seen, 
separated like the fingers of a 
hand.” This is well shown in the 
plate. The introduction of cer- 
tain striking plants which grow 
in the haunts of various birds is 
continued with most pleasing 
effect. Thus the Egyptian night- 
jar lies on the sand beside that 
thick, fleshy-leaved plant with 
large pink, yellow-centred flowers 
familiar to visitors to North 
Africa. The common nightjar is 
figured flying and thus displaying 
the curious white spots on the 
underside of the wing. As this 
volume includes the _ eagles, 
hawks, and  falcons—favourite 
studies of the artist—the plates 
are, if anything, more pleasing 
than those in the first volume. 
The third volume includes the 
rest of the herons and the allied 
species, and the swans, geese, 
ducks, pigeons, game - birds, 
rails, and the great bustard. 
The grouping of the different 
species on the plates is very suc- 
cessful; thus the swans occupy 
one plate, the four “grey” geese 
another, and the pigeons a third, 
thus affording the best oppor- 
tunity of comparing the small 
differences in the colouring of . Bic. 
allied species. The frontispiece, 
which shows the striking attitudes assumed by 
the male great bustards in spring when courting, 
is a fine picture. The author’s acquaintance with 
the Scotch Highlands and their birds has served 
1 (1) “ British Birds.” Written and Illustrated by A. Thorburn. Vol. ii., 
pp. vi+72+plates 21-40. Vol. iii., pp. vit+87+plates 41-60. (London: 
Longmans, Green and Co., 1915.) Price 1/, 11s. 6¢. net each volume. 
(z) “ Hill Birds of Scotland.” By Seton'Gordon, Pp. xii+ 300. 
Edward Arnold, 1915.) Price 12s. 6d. net. . 
NO. 2446, VOL. 98] 
1.—Nest of the oyster-catcher. 
(London : 
him well when treating of the black grouse and 
the ptarmigan, the latter forming the subject of 
a fine plate, while the letterpress contains some 
interesting observations on this bird of the moun- 
tain and the mist. 
(2) Under the title ‘“ Hill Birds of Scotland” we 
have a charming and most interesting account of 
twenty-four species of birds, and are rather at a 
From ‘‘ Hill Birds of Scotland.” 
loss to know why some of them should be so 
designated in particular. The author’s personal 
experiences and field notes are most interesting. 
But there is also introduced into the text a large 
amount of matter derived from other sources, and 
apparently sometimes from hearsay. Some of 
this cannot be considered as trustworthy. There 
are statements (for which no authority is given) 
