]32 



EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



REVIEWS. 



A HUtory of Briiuh Birds. By William Yarrell, F. L. S. Secretary to the Zoolo. 

 gioal Society. lUitstrated by a IVoodcut of each species, and numerous Vignettes. 

 London : John Van Voorst. 



The author of this work, already so well known to the public as a naturalist, can- 

 not fail to increase his reputation, and add to the advancement of ornithological 

 science, by the publication of a series of descriptions of the Birds of Britain, so ju- 

 diciously drawn up. and so beautifully illustrated. In the prospectus, we are informed 

 that it will be completed in two volumes, 8vo, and will contain a greater number of 

 British Birds than has yet been included in any work on the same subject. Four 

 pans have made their appearance, so that we are enabled to form an estimate of its 

 value, and compare it with other works on the same subject at present in the course 

 of being published. The figu."es are generally good, and in all cases beautifully en- 

 graved. Of those most to our mind, as eshibiting the natural aspect and attitude of 

 the birds, we may mention the Gyr-falcon, the Kestrel, the Hen Harrier, the Snowy 

 Owl, the Great Grey Shrike, the Red-backed Shrike, the Wood-chat Shrike, the 

 Flycatchers, the Dipper, and the Fieldfare. They are all, in our opinion, much su- 

 perior to the figures of Selby's Illustrations, which, indeed, we have always considered 

 as neither accurate in a scientific point of view, nor creditable as works of art. But, 

 if we were disposed to criticise thera, we should find some faults here and there, al- 

 though possibly those very faults might by others be considered as beauties. Thus, 

 the Golden Eagle has the bill too large ; the white-tailed Eagle is not well-shaped, 

 the body being too full and rounded, the bill not deep enough, and the tail so repre- 

 sented that one cannot decide as to which of its surfaces is exhibited ; the Merlin, the 

 Hobby, and the red- footed Falcon, are clearly skins stuffed with tow, and not living birds ; 

 the brooding Buzzard, at p. 80, has the bill at least three times as large as it ought to 

 be ; the Marsh Hairier is flat and stiff; and the Goshawk is more like a Buzzard than 

 it ought to be. Nevertheless, the cuts seem to us to be very beautiful, and we know 

 none else in which fewer faults exist. But neither the merits nor the defects of this 

 department belong to Mr Yarrel), whose descriptions we conceive to be uniformly 

 good, and to contain much interesting information, obtained, however, less from per- 

 sonal observation than we had anticipated or could wish. The distribution of the spe- 

 cies, not only in the different parts of Britain, but also in foreign countries, is care- 

 fully traced ; their habits are given In detail, although sometimes rather briefly ; their 

 nests and eggs, as well as their external appearance, are described in a succinct manner ; 

 and occasionally some particulars relative to their organization are given and illustrat 

 ed by vignettes. However, that the reader may be enabled to judge for himself as 

 to the execution of this part of the work, we lay before him Mr Yarrell's description 

 of one of our winter visitors. 



'* The Fieldfare is a well-known migratory Thrush that comes to us from the 

 north, and is one of the latest, if not the last, species that makes its annual and regu- 

 lar winter visit to Great Britain and the North of Ireland. It seldom appears before 

 the beginning of November, depending on the temperature of the season, and fre- 

 quently later than that, arrivirig here in large flocks in search of food ; and if the 

 weather continues open and mild, spreading themselves over pasture-lands to look for 

 worms, slugs, the larvas of insects, and any other soft-bodied animals of that sort ; 

 but, on the occurrence of snow or frost, they betake themselves to the hedges, and 

 feed greedily on haws, and various other berries. At this time they are much sought 

 after by youthful gunners, who find them shy and difficult to approach ; the whole 

 flock taking wing and keeping together, settle by scores on some distant tree, from 

 whence, if again disturbed, they wheel off in a body as before. Should the weather 

 become very severe, the Fieldfares leave us to go farther south, and are again seen 

 on their return. They are known to go as far to the south and to the east as 

 Minorca, Smyrna, and Syria. The Fieldfare does not return to its breeding-ground 

 till late in the season. 1 have known them shot on the 12th of May, and others 

 have been seen much later. White of Selborne says, that one particular season they 

 remained till the beginning of June ; and he asks, why do they not breed in the 

 Highlands ? Some instances have occurred of the Fieldfare breeding in this country ; 

 and Pennant, or the editor rather of the last edition of the British Zoology, men- 

 tions two instances that came to his knowledge. More recently, a nest has been 

 found in Kent, and others in Yorkshire and Scotland; but in Orkney and Shetland, 

 according to the observations of Mr Dunn, it is only seen on its passage to and from 

 other countries. Mr W. C. Hewitson, whose zeal in the cause of Natural History 

 induced him to visit Norway a few summers since, in the hope of obtaining roany rare 

 specimens for illustration in his excellent work on the Eggs of British Birds, thus de- 

 scribes the nesting habits of the Fieldfare : — After a long ramble through some very 

 thick woods, * our attention was attracted by the harsh cries of several birds, which 

 we at first supposed must be shrikes, but which afterwards proved to be Fieldfares, 

 anxiously watching over their newly-established dwellings. We were soon delighted 

 by the discovery of several of their nests, and were surprised to find them (so con- 

 trary to the habits of other species of the genus Turdns with which we are acquaint- 

 ed) breeding in society. Their nests were at various heights from the ground, from 

 four feet to thirty or forty feet, or upwards, mixed with old ones of the preceding 

 year : They were, for the most part, placed against the trunk of the spruce fir ; some 

 were, however, at a considerable distance from it, upon the upper surface, and to- 

 wards the smaller end of the thicker branches. They resembled most nearly those 

 of the Ring Ouzel. The outside is composed of sticks, and coarse grass and weeds 

 gathered wet, matted together with a small quantity of clay, and lined with a thick 

 bed of fine grass: None of them yet contained more than three eggs, although we - 

 afterwards found that five was more commonly the number ihan four, and that even 

 six was very frequent. They are very similar to those of the Blackbird, and even 

 more so to the Ring Ouzel. The Fieldfare is the most abundant bird in Norway, 

 »nd is generally diffused over that part which we visited, building, as already noticed, 

 in society, two hundred nests or more being frequently seen within a very small 

 space.' The eggs are light blue, mottled all over with spots of dark red-brown ; the 

 length one inch three lines, the breadth ten lines. William Christy, Esq., junior, 

 who, with a party of naturalists, visited Norway in the summer of 1836, says, on the 

 mouiitams called the Davrefield, Fieldfares were rearing their young ; they were just 



able to fly about on the 6th of August. The call-note of the Fieldfare is harsh, but 

 its song is soft and melodious. In confinement it soon becomes reconciled, and sings 

 agreeably. At night, when at large, it frequents evergreens and thick planiations ; 

 but, unlike its congeners, it has frequently been known to roost on the ground among 

 fern, heath, or furze, on bushy commons. This bird is well known in Sweden, 

 Russia, and Siberia, where it is found only in summer ; in Poland, Prussia, and 

 Austria, it remains the whole year ; but in France, and the still more southern coun- 

 tries of Europe, it is only a winter visitor, extending its migration in that season, as 

 before stated, to Minorca, Sm.yrna, and Syria." 



It will be seen from the above, that there is in Mr Yarrel's History more careful 

 and judicious gleaning from other works than original matter. To the student, 

 however, this is rather a recommendation than otherwise ; and, in acknowledging his 

 sources of information, the author evinces a degree of honesty which we in vain look 

 for in the writings of many other candidates for ornithological renown. 



The Natural History of the Birds of Great Britain and Ireland. Part I. Birdi Oj 

 Prey, Illustrated hy thirty-six Plates. By Sir William Jardine, Bart. F.R.S.E., 

 F.L.S. &c. Edinburgh: W. H. Lizars. 

 This work, which professes to be, not a history, hut The History of British and 

 Irish Birds, differs in some essential respects from Mr Yarrell's. In the first place, 

 the Figures of the birds described are engraved on copper, and coloured, so as to 

 resemble nature in more respects than one. Secondly, the peculiarities of the bills, 

 feet, and wings, are illustrated by woodcuts. In the third place, the descriptions are 

 more original, and their style bolder, although not so uniformly correct. Of the 

 plates, several are excellent, some good, and others very poor. In the first class may 

 be ranked those of the Orange-legged Falcon, the Golden Eagle, the Honey Buzzard, 

 the Marsh Harrier, and the White Owl ; in the second, the Jer Falcon, the Hobby, 

 the Kestrel, and the Swallow-tailed Nauclerus ; in the third about half of the whole 

 number. Thus, for example, the Eagle Owl has the head much too small, the mark- 

 ings on the breast not sufficiently minute, and the feathers on the sides and tibia 

 stiff, in place of being pecuHarly soft and almost downy. Thus, also, the Lon(»-eared 

 Owl is washed with blue, of which it in reality has no traces ; the Tawny Owl has light 

 blue eyes, whereas they are in nature so dark as at a little distance to seem black ; 

 the Kite has the bill too elongated ; the Goshawk is too clumsy and awkward; the 

 female Sparrowhawk is much more like the species last mentioned ; the grey tints 

 generally are converted into blues ; and the eggs seem to us remarkably u<Tly. As 

 to the woodcuts, we can only say that their execution is in all respects exceedingly 

 poor. In this volume are described as British, one vulture. Neophron Percnopterusy 

 of which a single specimen was killed in Somersetshire in 1825 ; twenty Falconidce, 

 among which are included the Swallow-tailed Nauclerus, of which two specimens 

 have been killed, thi; one in Argyleshire, the other in Yorkshire, and the Crested 

 Spizaetus, which is added to the British Fauna, on the authority of Mr Wingate, animal 

 preserver at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who received a skin, in a fresh state, from 

 Aberdeen ; and eight owls, among which is the Hawk Owl, of which an individual is 

 recorded to have been captured •• a few miles off the coast of Cornwall, on board a 

 collier, in a very exhausted state." 



In an Introduction is given a sketch of the progress of ornithological science in 

 Britain, together with some remarks on the changes that have taken place in the 

 immber and distribution of our native species. The characters of the order Raptores, 

 or Birds of Prey, and of the genera and species of which it is composed, are briefly 

 sketched, and illustrated by woodcuts. In the descriptions of the species, the author evi- 

 dently strives hard to imitate Wilson, Buffon, Audubon, and others, who have succeeded 

 in combining popular narrative with scientific information; but his attempts are o-ene- 

 rally unsuccessful, and often ludicrous, although, on the whole, the histories of the 

 species may be recommended as generally correct, however ungracefully managed. If 

 they be compared with the notes to Wilson's Ornitholoiry and White's Selborne, it will 

 be found that he has improved considerably, although he is still far from beino- an 

 adept in composition. As an example of his manner, we here give a portion of his 

 history of one of the most celebrated of our native birds. 



" The Golden Eagle has ever been associated with majesty or nobility ; in ancient 

 mythology, an Eagle was alone thought worthy to bear the thunder of Jove. By 

 rude and savage nations he is combined with courage and independence. The 

 young Indian warrior glories in his Eagle's plume as the most distinguished ornamrat 

 with which he can adorn himself. The dress of the Highland chieftain is incomplete 

 without this badge of high degree. And if, by the trammels of system ("which, ne- 

 vertheless, is indispensable, when the number of objects to be arranged exceeds eight 

 thousand), we are forced to place him in an aberrant or less honourable situation, yet, 

 when met with on his native mountains, free and uncontrolled, we cannot refuse the 

 tribute which has been rendered to him by our predecessors. 



*' In England and the south of Scotland the Golden Eagle may be accounted rare, 

 very few districts of the former being adapted to its disposition, or suitable for breed- 

 ing places. Some parts of Derbyshire are recorded as having possessed eyries, in the 

 mountainous parts of Wales there are others, and the precipices of Cumberland and 

 Westmoreland also boasted of them. Upon the wild ranges of the Scottish border, 

 one or two pairs used to breed, but their nest has not been known for twenty years, 

 though a straggler in winter sometimes is yet seen amidst their defiles. It is not un- 

 til we really enter the Highlands of Scotland by one of the grand and romantic passes^ 

 that the noble bird can be said occasionally to occur, and it is not until we reach the 

 very centre of their " wildness," that he can be frequently seen. But the species 

 must be gradually, though surely decreasing, for such is the depredation committed 

 among the flocks during the season of lambing, and which is the time when a large 

 supply of food is required by the parent birds for their young, that every device is 

 employed, and expense incurred by rewards, for their destruction." 



Edinburgh: Published for the Proprietor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street. 

 London: S.mith, Elder, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Glasgow and the West of 

 Scotland: John Smith and Son; and John Macleod. Dublin: George 

 Young. Paris: J. B. Balliere, Ruede I'Ecole de Medecine, No. 13 bis. 



THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANy. 



