763 



REVIEWS. 



BIRDS OF THE INDIAN HILLS.* 



There is a great want of a book on the Common Birds of India with 

 popular descriptions of the different species. Mr. Dewar's new book on the 

 " Birds of the Indie^n Hills " to some extent fills this want as far as the 

 Himalayas and the Hills of Southern India are concerned. It is true a 

 number of the birds described are also found in the plains but on the other 

 hand many are not mentioned which are common there, but for these the 

 enquirer can refer to Eha's "Birds of Bombay. " 



Part I. — Starts with a general chapter on the habitat of Himalayan birds. 

 Mr. Dewar then gives a list of the Common Birds he observed in Kumaon, 

 taking that district as representative of the Western Himalaj^as. This is 

 followed by an account of the birds noted in the Eastern Himalayas, but 

 descriptions are only given of those species not mentioned in the previous 

 chapter. There are some short chapters on special birds such as the Black 

 Bulbuls, the Spotted Forktail, the Great Himalayan Barbet, &c., all of 

 which Mr. Dewar has something interesting to tell about. 



Part II. — Consists of a list of the Common Birds found in the Nilgiris, 

 made chiefly round the Hill Stations of Coonoor and Ootacamund and 

 should enable the visitor to name most of the birds seen in the garden or 

 during the course of a ramble. For the benefit of visitors to the Palni HiUs 

 a list of the common species is included in Part III. This, however, unlike 

 the other lists, is not made on Mr. Dewar's personal observations, but is 

 based on a paper by Dr. Fairbank written some 40 years ago in Stray 

 Feathers. With these four lists we can safely say that the visitor to the 

 Himalayas or South Indian Hills should be able to recognize most of the 

 more conspicuous birds likely to be met with. In some cases however the 

 observer is bound to be disappointed in not finding a particular bird but it 

 is impossible in a jDopular book to mention all the species. The fact whether 

 a bird is common or not and should be included in such list as Mr. Dewar's 

 is difficult to decide as it depends to a great extent on the powers of obser- 

 vation of the observer, still we think Mr. Dewar has made a very good 

 selection. 



t INDIAN FOREST INSECTS. 



"Indian Forest Insects of Economic Itnportance, Coleoptera,'^ is the title of a 

 recent work by Mr. E. P. Stebbing, late of the Indian Forest Service. Mr. 

 Stebbing, it may be mentioned, for some jears occupied the position of 

 Zoologist in the Forest Research Institute at Dehra Dun. The author in- 

 forms us in the preface that the chief aim of the book is the study of the 

 Insect Fauna of the Indian forests from the economical standpoint. Presum- 

 ably this volume is the first instalment of a series as it deals only with the 

 Beetles. 



The book as it is published is too large for easy handling and the paper is 

 of that shiny sort which is so trying to the eyes when there is a strong light 

 upon it. It would have been better had it been of the ordinary quarto size, 

 published in two parts. The print is, however, very clear and good and 

 the illustrations are excellent. Many of these latter, particularly the figiires 

 of the insects themselves, have been published before in various places ; many 



* Birds of the Indian Hills, by Douglas Dewar, London, John Lane, 1905, six 

 shilling's net. 



t Indian Forest Insects, by E. P. Stebbing. Published by order of His Majesty's 

 Secretary of State for India in Council, London. Price fifteen shillings. 



