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NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



The Birds of Surrey. By John A. Bucknill, M.A. 

 R H. Porter. 



Surrey, to the regret of many of its residents and of all its 

 naturalists, is, to use the words of Mr. Bucknill, rapidly " de- 

 generating into a colossal suburb." To those who were born in 

 the county, and have passed their lives there, the truth of this 

 saying is painfully apparent, and the success of the " City man " 

 now too often means the disfigurement of the Surrey hills. The 

 hand of the builder has fallen very heavily on this lovely county, 

 residential estates are being opened out, and many of the rarer 

 birds vanishing from its boundaries. The feres naturae are 

 receiving notices to quit. The preservation of game in this 

 county seems too often designed to afford a London holiday, and 

 the keeper decides what members of our fauna shall be extermi- 

 nated in the supposed interests of his employers. 



We are very thankful for this book, which gives the census of 

 to-day ; what it will be reduced to in another fifty years no man 

 knoweth ! Even now many of the rarer birds are confined to 

 restricted haunts which may not be mentioned, and the writer of 

 this notice only last May watched the Stone-Curlew within an 

 hour's walk of the busy town of Croydon. The Magpie is sadly 

 becoming less known every year, and villagers in many parts will 

 tell you how they could always procure a nest, if wanted, with 

 little trouble some years back. Now a solitary appearance is, in 

 many parts of Surrey, quite an event. The Jay still survives the 

 persecution of the keeper, and is probably in many woods much 

 more abundant than is generally supposed. The Sparrow-Hawk 

 is considered by Mr. Bucknill as " undoubtedly decreasing," 

 though this year its visits to a poultry-yard at Warlingham on 

 more than one occasion has proved that it does not restrict itself 

 solely to the game-preserves around. 



The writer has compiled with care, and, we are gratified to 



