472 THE ZOOLOGIST, 
read the article on this subject, from which he evidently quotes, 
and which appeared in ‘ The Zoologist’ for 1879 (pp. 4833—440), 
he would have found the evidence on which this statement was 
grounded. Curiously enough, on his next page, he is so incon- 
sistent as to quote (very inaccurately) a passage from Stuart’s 
‘Lays of the Deer Forest’ (correctly quoted in ‘ The Zoologist’ 
for 1879), wherein the writer states that he saw the young 
Woodcock carried ‘‘in the claws” of its parent, an observation 
which is confirmed by Mr. Chichester Hart in our present 
number (p. 454). 
To the statement (p. 175) that ‘‘ Peregrines are very de- 
structive to Grouse,” we cannot object: they can catch and kill 
them easily, though many sportsmen affirm that a driven Grouse 
is the fastest bird that flies. But when Mr. Watson adds that 
‘it is just as true that they pick off the slowest and weakest 
birds,” we entirely disagree with him, having repeatedly had 
ocular proof that this is not the case. Having taken some part in 
‘‘ Grouse-hawking ” for three seasons, and having seen as many 
as six or eight Grouse killed in one afternoon by Peregrine 
Falcons, we may confidently claim to express an opinion on this 
subject, an opinion, by the way, which has been already called 
forth (antea, p. 117) by an iteration of the popular fallacy 
which Mr. Watson still tries to maintain. Once put a plausible, 
though erroneous, statement into print, without any evidence to 
support it, and it will be copied over and over again, in spite of 
contradiction. We have another instance of thisin Mr. Watson’s 
book, on p. 78, where he tells us that the dark brown variety of 
Fallow-deer was introduced into England from Scandinavia, a 
fallacy that has been long since exposed (see ‘Essays on Sport 
and Natural History,’ p. 12). 
We might give other instances of want of accuracy, but have 
no desire to pursue such criticism further. The book, though 
not without its redeeming features, is on the whole a dis- 
appointing one. It savours too much of ‘‘ book-making,” and 
too little of the well-considered, well-expressed truths that might 
be collected by a more careful writer. 
WEST, NEWMAN AND CO., PRINTERS, 54, HATTON GARDEN, 
