97 

 NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



SOME SCIENTIFIC SERIALS. 



The number of serial publications now being issued, bearing 

 upon natural science in one form or another, is distinctly 

 encouraging and, generally speaking, whether dealing with 

 the subject from a popular or technical standpoint, they 

 are nowadays of a very high standard. When, a few years 

 ago, the i-evival of nature study took place, the market was 

 flooded with so-called natural history publications. Many have 

 ' gone to the wall,' or elsewhere. The best have lived. 



THE NATURE BOOK. 



From Messrs. Cassell we have received part i of a re-issue 

 of ' The Nature Book,' which we had the pleasure of referring 

 to when originally published some little time ago. It will be 

 completed in thirty-six fortnightly parts, at sevenpence each. 

 It is attractively printed on good paper, and illusti^ated by 

 a profusion of blocks from photographs representing flowers, 

 trees, birds, mammals, clouds, etc., etc. Amongst the con- 

 tributors we notice such well-known names as Kearton, English, 

 Irving, Duncan, Ward and Bastin. There are also some 

 charming monochrome and coloured plates, the latter being 

 mounted on tinted paper. 



BRITISH birds' NESTS. 



From the same house is part i of ' British Birds' Nests : how, 

 where and when to find and identify them,' which is also 

 appearing in sevenpenny fortnightly parts, but will be com- 

 pleted in seventeen parts. It is the work of the brothers 

 Kearton, and usually each species is dealt with under the 

 heads of ' Description of parent birds,' ' situation and locality,' 

 ' materials,' ' eggs,' ' time,' and ' remarks.' The word ' time ' 

 does not refer to the punishment likely to fall to the lot of the 

 over enthusiastic collector, and we hardly think the object 

 of the work is to encourage collecting eggs or birds, though 

 probably a statement on the point will be made as it proceeds. 

 In addition to the reproductions of photographs in the text, 

 the part before us has two excellent plates in colours, ' repro- 

 duced direct from Nature,' one shewing a linnet's nest, and the 

 other, eggs of crows, ravens, jays, etc. 



BRITISH MAMMALS. 



Messrs. Gurney and Jackson have issued part lo of Major 

 Barrett-Hamilton's magnificent ' History of British Mammals,' 

 a work which has long been wanted, and cannot be superceded. 

 The part before us is devoted to the rabbit or cony, and in 

 addition to the most complete of descriptions of the species, 

 its anatomical and other peculiarities, has a number of excellent 

 illustrations, not only of the animals themselves, but of their 



jr)i2 Apiil I. " 



