Reviews.



73



The name of R. B. Lodge is familiar to most people in

connection with his admirable photographic studies of animal

life, and, as might be expected in a book from his pen, the

illustrations are a very important and conspicuous feature, and,

with perhaps one or two exceptions, of the very highest ex¬

cellence.


Some of the photographs have been coloured and repro¬

duced by the three-colour process with considerable success,

though we must admit a preference for the uncoloured

pictures.


The first chapter is devoted to the Birds of Prey, which the

author has studied in many lands, and whose habits perhaps he

is as familiar with as any other naturalist. It is a deplorable fact

that many of these splendid and, in most cases, very useful birds

are becoming some of the rarest inhabitants of our land. Every

bird of prey, even the harmless and most useful Kestrels and

Owls, are ruthlessly sacrificed by ignorant gamekeepers, many of

whom unfortunately have masters who are still more ignorant in

matters of Natural History.


Other chapters are devoted to insect-eaters, seed and

vegetable eaters, wading birds, fresh-water birds, sea-birds and

flightless birds. Thus a wide field is scanned, though of course

British Birds come in for the lion’s share of the author’s

attention.


The Herons are an interesting group, and have been

studied and photograped by the author in their breeding haunts.

The Common Herons often nest amongst reeds in Holland, and

this doubtless is their original custom, though in this country

and elsewhere they have been obliged to adopt high trees as

nesting sites, for the preservation of their race. Abroad many

different species of Herons nest together in one large colony in

low bushes growing in the water, and these assemblages are very

striking.


One hardly likes to find any fault with so excellent a work

as the one now before us, but if only for the sake of having them

corrected in any future edition that may appear, we feel bound

to point out certain slight discrepancies. In the first place, in the

Introduction, the word “animals” is constantly used instead of



