REVIEWS. 783 



far as it goes, but one cannot help thinking how useful it would have been, 

 if we had been briefly told exactly how two closely allied species differed 

 from one another ; as an instance Farnarajie.tilis and colaca may be quoted. 



The plates, as already indicated, are most complete, but here again the 

 times have changed, and one has only to look at Seitz's work on the Butter- 

 flies of the world to see the difference. In the plates in Le])idoptera Indica 

 the uppersides of both sexes are portrayed in full, while the underside of 

 one-half only is given ; the figures are arranged far apart so that only 3 or 

 4 species are to be found on one plate ; no names are given and the plate 

 index has to be consulted in order to ascertain the name of any particular 

 insect figured. In Seitz's plates some fifty figures are crowded on to one 

 plate ; only half the upperside and half the underside are figured ; females 

 are not figured when they differ but little from the male ; and, what is most 

 important, the name is given under each figure. The plates of Lepidoptera 

 Indica are hand coloured and in most cases, especially towards the end of 

 the book, the work has been well done ; this cannot, however, be said of 

 some of the plates towards the middle of the book. 



We may now call a stop to criticism and conclude by saying that Lepi- 

 ■doptera Indica is a book that will stand for very many years as the most 

 important and complete work of reference on Indian Butterflies, Alas ! 

 that only a few of us will be able to afford the luxury of a cf)py ; it will, 

 however, be certain to find a place in every Museum and thus be accessible 

 to us all. 



W. H. E, 



"INDIAN PIGEONS AND DOVES" 



E. 0. STUART BAKER, f.z.s., f.l.s., m.b.o.xj. 



The Indian Pigeons were not included by Hvime in his Game Birds of 

 India, (Witherby &Co.,) although quite as much " Game Birds " in the wide 

 .sense of the word as many of the birds given by him, and no illustrated 

 work has ever been published on these interesting birds. In the fourth 

 Volume of the ''Birds" in the "Fauna of British India " Series, Blanford 

 gives an excellent account of all the diff'erent kinds of Pigeons and Doves ; 

 but as that work is in four Volumes and each species is treated as briefly 

 as possible, it is not in the hands of many sportsmen and bird-lovers and 

 therefore Mr. Stuart Baker's Volume should be all the more welcome. 

 The ornithologist too will find the book most iiseful as it brings up to date 

 and amplifies Blanford's work. 



Under each species full descriptions of plumage, including in many 

 cases young in down, which were not given by Blanford, distribution, 

 nidification and vernacular names are given in small type under heavy 

 type headings, and notes on habits and shooting in large type, so that any 

 information required can be easily found. 



There has unfortunately been some changing of generic and specific 

 names, the latter necessitated by the recognition of subspecies ; but the 

 reasons for these have been clearly shown by Mr. Stuart Baker, and since 

 the sportsman and bird-lover, as a rule, confine themselves to English 

 names, the changes should not cause any confusion. 



In his introduction the author makes clear his position as regards sub- 

 species or geographical races ; and we think that, after a careful study of 

 his book, most Indian Ornithologists will agree with his views. 



The total number of true species recognised by Blanford was foity-five, 

 while Mr. Stuart Baker gives an account of fifty-one species and sub- 

 .species. This difference is made up by the addition of two subspecies 



