NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 877 



much more infrequently are they understood ! Mr. Witchell 

 endeavours to act the part of interpreter, to give us the reason for 

 these avian cries and call-notes. Now and then a Capt. Burton 

 appears, who can quickly master any human dialect and make it 

 his own, but how little we still know of the languages used by 

 the other living creatures who are our contemporaries ! Pro- 

 bably sound is not alone their method of communication, but that 

 the gesture-language common to primitive man and mutes may be 

 very largely used by non-human creatures. This little book is 

 worth the study of all lovers of natural life ; it is an insight into 

 the loves, hates, and fears of the birds around us. Whether 

 their cries can be rendered by musical symbols is at least open to 

 doubt, but we are very thankful for the attempt. We are glad to 

 be interested in our friendly nuisance the Sparrow. " The male 

 Sparrow, when perched comfortably in sunshine, often rehearses 

 his vocabulary, in a way which indicates an attempt at song. If 

 reared under birds of another species in a cage, the Sparrow has 

 their notes and not Sparrow-notes, though he retains the Sparrow 

 tone of voice, and he may then become quite a pleasant singer." 



All about Birds. By W. Percival-Westell. " Feathers" 

 Publishing Co. Limited. 



The title of this little book is not quite a happy one, though 

 its contents are a series of clippings from various sources which 

 may be said to be " all about birds." Unfortunately, many 

 of these bear no reference to their authority, and hence possess 

 little value. They likewise appear to be somewhat undigested 

 and ill-arranged, the same heading appearing in different parts of 

 the book with contrary information. Thus : " The rarest exist- 

 ing Bird " appears on pp. 67 and 158 ; on the first we are told it 

 is the " Horned Screamer " ; on the second it is described as " a 

 certain kind of Pheasant from Annam." The information as to 

 "the Great Auk" on pp. 108 and 155 does not agree in details. 

 The remarks as to the Sparrow on p. 52 seem a " little previous," 

 and a perusal of Mr. Tegetmeier's book {ante, p. 375) might 

 possibly produce some qualification of assertion. 



