282 New Books on Birds. 



however, has not gone quite so far as some of our ornithological friends ; 

 and when an occasional Frenchman flies across the channel, alights on our 

 shore, and is seen ' in the flesh,' he is not described to the world as 

 ' British '). The volume has an added interest from the fact that the 

 author has not rigidly adhered to the geographical boundary of the county, 

 but in his monograph includes the whole of the Romney Marsh, which is 

 so well known for its bird life. 



The author gives a complete account of the occurrences of each species 

 of birds recorded for the country ; together with full references to records, 

 the local names, etc., etc. He has not accepted the various records without 

 careful investigation, and with many of the species his researches have 

 resulted in important additions being made to our knowledge. As a 

 frontispiece is, appropriately, an illustration of a pair of Kentish Plover 

 nesting on Dungeness ; and amongst the other plates we notice a repro- 

 duction of Pennant's plate of Dartford Warblers (1776) ; a bird which is 

 now extinct in Kent, as it disappeared as a breeding species about 1891. 

 The volume is well indexed ; there is a Bibliography, and a list of sub- 

 scribers. 



The second work referred to is The Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire and 

 Liverpool Bay, and is edited by T. A. Coward (26/-). It is in two volumes, 

 each separately paged and indexed, and in general ' get-iip ' is equal to 

 the Kent volume. The first contains over 500 pages, and deals with the 

 mammals and birds ; Mr. C. Oldham assisting the editor in this section. 

 Brief reference is made to the extinct fauna ; amongst the species recorded 

 being Elephas antiquus, E. priniigenius (mammoth). Bos primigenius, 

 B. longifvons etc. Then follows a description of the wild mammals at present 

 inhabiting the area ; particular attention being paid to the deer and white 

 Somerford cattle. There are also records of whales, dolphins, and other 

 marine species. The main part of the book, however, is devoted to the 

 birds, and in connection with this the various records in ' The Naturalist ' 

 and other publications have been put to good account. Tiie authors 

 consider there is satisfactory evidence of the occurrence of 231 species of 

 birds in the wild state in Cheshire ; a number which compares very favour- 

 ably with the 325 species recorded in the recent volume on ' The Birds of 

 Yorkshire,' having regard to the superior advantages of the latter county. 

 The Cheshire total does not include the Canada Goose and Mute Swan, 

 species which were originally introduced, though they now exist in 

 a more or less wild state. The second volume is about half the size of the 

 first, and includes an interesting chapter on ' The Dee as a Wild Fowl 

 Resort,' by Mr. John A. Dockray ; Messrs. Coward and Oldham describe the 

 Reptiles and Fishes, and Mr. James Johnstone has written on the Fishes 

 of Cheshire and Liverpool Bay. As in the companion volume, the illus- 

 trations are principally the work of Mr. Thomas Baddeley. Reptiles only 

 rarely occur in Cheshire, and amongst amphibians it is interesting to note 

 the occurrence of the Natterjack. Mr. Johnstone's contribution is a 

 ■welcome and very valuable addition to the work ; rarely have we seen the 

 fish fauna of an area dealt with so well. A useful bibliography is given, 

 and a map. 



The Time of the Singing of Birds. London : Henry Frowde, 1910. 

 126 pp. 3/6 net. 



In this little volume have been gathered together about a hundred 

 poems, by various writers, referring to birds and their song. They are 

 arranged according to the seasons, and are taken from the writings of 

 Burns, Keats, Kingsley, Meredith, Milton, Rossetti, Shakespeare, Shelley, 

 Swinburne, Tennyson, Wordswortii, King James I. of Scotland, our old 

 friend ' Anonymous,' and a host of others. The poems have been chosen 

 with care, and there is an index of authors, index to first lines, etc. One 

 need not be a naturalist to appreciate the book, and doubtless those 

 writing on ' nature study,' etc., will find it useful for obtaining ' apt 

 quotations.' 



