132 NOTES AND NEWS. 
Now it is quite possible to live in Iceland for weeks and never 
see a single Iceland Falcon, so that Mr. Raine’s ‘ collectors ’—about 
whom he tells us a great deal—must be accountable for endangering 
the extermination of a most interesting and beautiful bird from the 
Icelandic list. One naturally looks at the fly-leaves of the book 
under review for an advertisement, and, finding none, feels more 
than ever astonished at the records of wholesale plunder among 
birds’ eggs so sar gel recorded throughout the volume. 
Whilst true bird lovers in England and elsewhere are doing all 
in their power by Seed (legislative and otherwise) and by 
education to secure the safe breeding of rare species—to say nothing 
of commoner ones—it is most discouraging to read of the ravages in 
various countries (even in Europe) made by Mr. Raine’s ‘collectors.’ 
Mr. Raine is evidently an enthusiast, and undoubtedly worked 
hard and well during his trip, but many of his conclusions should be 
taken with a due amount of care, and we can hardly recommend the 
book to the scientific reader because of its manifold inaccuracies. 
One example out of many will sufficiently show the truth of this :— 
‘ My next find was a nest and five eggs of the Great Grey Shrike 
The nest was a large bulky structure of twigs, the inside made of 
roots and weeds. The Great Grey Shrike is found in Europe, and 
breeds at Valkenswaard, in Holland, and I have a number of sets 
that were collected in that country. It does not breed in the British 
Isles, being only an occasional visitor there.’ 
To the ordinary reader, fond of books of travel, there is a certain 
collecting adventures. This book is evidently the outcome of a 
generous desire on the author’s part to inculcate in the minds of 
others a taste like his own for the beauties of the ‘ bird-world’ around. 
a 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
The Birmingham eset History sso bp hia ical Society has joined hands. 
wer the Philosophical Society of the sa e town, a: peep the Birm ingens Natural 
and Philosophical Society we aK it a long and useful career. The first 
oan of the e Society’ s Journal is to hand, in which is aeascrate short histories of 
e two institutions and par of the amalgamatio 
rom Messrs. Jarrold & Sona we we have received ‘Object Lessons in eee 
by Edvard Snelgrove, a book intended for teachers of Standards Ia - ih 
thirty-three lessons it contains are well put, and the matter given uch a ce 
as to be readily understood by i merest child. Numerous iifustrations are 
a commendable feature of the wo: 
‘aS oor 
am. pape Se args in the et pi and Proceedings of the Manchester 
Literary and Philosophical Society, te and it is posed th fossil 
Calamostachys sidioens, from oe Lah i Lee iediarens 0082 
Naturalist, 
