Some New Natural History Books. 27 



distinct from the usual methods adopted in Natural History volumes. 

 There are diagrams, views of the various species dealt with, maps showing 

 distribution, and so on. 



Messrs. W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, have issued a massive volume 

 by H. IhCorfinrar Batten, entitled Habits and Characters of British 

 Wild Animals, which is illustrated by black and white and coloured 

 illustrations, by Warwick Reynolds. Mr. Batten's word ' Animals ' is 

 confined to the Mammals, and he deals at some length with ' Red Deer, 

 Roe-deer or the Roebuck, Fox, Weazei and the Stoat, Otter, Pine- 

 Marten, Badger, Polecat, Brown Hare, Blue or Mountain Hare, Rabbit, 

 Hedgehog, Squirrel, Gray or Brown Rat, Water-rat, Wild Cat.' The 

 author endeavours to achieve some degree of originality by writing from 

 practical observations, and without the aid of references, and his chapters 

 certainly indicate familiarity with the species he describes. The author 

 is fortunate in securing the drawings of Mr. Warwick Reynolds, which, 

 are on quite new lines. 



Under the title of The Wild Unmasked (by the same publishers), 

 F. St. MaF« writes a volume in a more or less chatty style, in which 

 the habits of Field Mice, Ravens, and a whole host of familiar Mammals 

 and birds are described, and evidently the author is fairly familiar with 

 their haunts. The book requires careful perusal in order to ascertain 

 precisely the various species dealt with. Certainly it cannot be obtained 

 from the chapters, etc., among the titles of which we notice ' The Master- 

 Hun, Notice to Quit, The Old White Devil, Fizzle's Angel, The Forlorn 

 Hope, A Pygmy in Armour, A Real Hero, The Great Adventure, The 

 Call of the Flock, The New World, The Cry, Sapper Mauldy, and The 

 Hustlers.' We can recommend the volume as a very fascinating stoiy, 

 which is considerably helped by Harry Rowntree's sketches. 



From the same house is a small volume entitled Tracks and Track- 

 ing : A Book for Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and every Lover of 

 Woodcraft; also by Mr.H. Mortimer Batten (95 pp., 2/-). in which are 

 illustrations of tracks of Mammals and Birds, running or walking, etc. ; 

 also plans showing rabbit tracks in the vicinity of warrens, and other 

 information likely to be of service to young people who wish to use their 

 eyes, and incidentally older folks might derive much useful information 

 by a perusal of its pages. 



Messrs. Witherby & Co. have issued a volume of exceptional merit; 

 entitled A Naturalist in Himalaya, by R. W, G. Kingston, M.C. 

 (300 pp., price 18/-). Dr. Hingston visited the Himalaya between 

 1914-1916, and made many valuable observations upon the fauna of that 

 part of the world. The volume deals principally with Insect Life, the 

 observations on the various species of ants and spiders being exceptionally 

 valuable. His work, however, is not confined to these, as we have 

 information relating to Glow-worms, Shells, Birds, Molluscs, and even 

 Mammals, the photographs of the leopard being especially interesting, 

 those facing pages 248 and 252 being remarkable for the way in which 

 the animal is represented against a background which almost precisely 

 resembles its markings. The volumes concludes with a geological sketch 

 of the district. 



Another Indian Volume has been issued by Mr. John Lane, and is 

 entitled The Eteiry of a Sportsman Naturalist in India, by E. P. 

 Stebbing (298 pp., 21/- net). The artist is very free with his pencil, 

 and quite a large proportion of the pages has been improved by his 

 small sketches, many of which well ' hit-off ' the characteristics of the 

 animals he so carefully describes. The camera has also been extensively 

 used, and in this manner the narratives of his hunting expeditions are 

 rendered doubly entertaining. The title ' Sportsman Naturalist ' is 

 justified. Most of the information was ready for the press in 1914, but 

 was held over for more favourable times, but the chapters are none the 

 less interesting on that account. We observe that the author considers 



1921 Jan. 1 



