242 



NATURE 



[August 25, 1910 



and if the omission of these lighter matters make the 

 book less fascinating to read than some others, it 

 detracts nothing from its solid worth. Beginning with 

 a bibliography, the volume contains an introduction of 

 twenty-seven pages, dealing with the topography, 

 i^eoloffv, rivers, vesretation, avifauna, migration, 

 museums, and collections of and in the county, and 

 of the former authors on the subject. Then follows 

 the detailed account of each species on the lines indi- 

 cated. Excluding forty-two "doubtful species," which 

 are included in square brackets, these number 312; 

 107 birds breed rej,rularly in Kent, thirteen have bred 

 only once or on verv rare occasions, and fifteen 

 formerly bred and have ceased to do so. 



Kent has of late \ears produced an e.\traordinary 

 number of rare birds, accidental visitors to these 

 shores, several of them having- been "new" to the 



season is a little disquieting, and seems to require 

 attention. Not that we suggest for one moment that 

 the shooting of these stray wanderers — far out of their 

 usual range of distribution — does a tittle of harm to 

 the respective species, or that their reaching the hands 

 of the critical ornithologist serves any but a good 

 purpose. But at the same time the habit — unchecked, 

 it would appear — of shooting on marsh and shore in 

 the breeding season is essentially a bad and harmful 

 one, and in the case of irresponsible people may easily 

 lead to the death of breeding wildfowl or waders. 



Among the many wonders of migration oversea is 

 the fact disclosed in this volume of rare birds from 

 remote countries arriving, not only singly, but in 

 ■pairs and small parties. Thus two snow-finches (a 

 sedentary species living in the Alps) were shot from 

 a p;irtv of five; three white-winr^ed larks observed 



'Ihe " Hoppen Pits," Dung 



the Birds of Ken 



■'A HUtory of 



British list ; and in reading the pages of this volume 

 one is impressed with the enormous importance in the 

 compilation of a long county list of rare birds of 

 the existence on the spot of a bird-stuffer always on the 

 look-out for a rare bird, and ready to offer it for the 

 inspection of the trained ornithologist; for it is to be 

 noticed that nearly all these rarities which have 

 apparently been pouring like a stream upon the shores 

 of Kent in the last few years have passed through the 

 hands of one bird-stuffer. .Another point which will 

 strike the reader is the sharp eye for a rare bird 

 possessed bv some of the Kentish men — more than 

 one great rarity has been secured by shepherds, and 

 most of them by people who were ready to part with 

 them — for we should be loth to think that these 

 gunners shoot all and sundry that come within range 

 on the chance of getting a good bird. k\. the same 

 •time, this apparent habit of men with guns patrolling 

 the county durintr May and other parts of the close 



NO. 2130, VOL. 84] 



together, and all secured, and three black larks (new 

 to our list) out of five. So, too, sandpipers from 

 .Vmerica come not only singly, pairs of the solitary 

 and spotted sandpipers being here recorded. In some 

 vears there has been quite an American invasion. In 

 July; 1908, examples of the solitary, pectoral, and 

 Bartram's sandpiper occurred; and 1906 produced both 

 Bonaparte's and the pectoral sandpipers. 



The twenty-four plates comprise reproductions of 

 the plates in old boolcs of Kentish specimens, some 

 modern Kentish rarities, and nesting sites and bits of 

 Kentish scenery, the typical haunts in the county of 

 various species. These are very pleasing and appro- 

 priate to the objects of the book. By permission of 

 the publishers we are enabled to reproduce one of 

 the illustrations. There is also a Rood map at the end 

 of the volume, which is nicely got up and well printed 

 on ijood ung-lossed paper, so that, despite its bulk, 

 the book is not verv heavy. 



