602 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VOL. XXXIV. 
is in keeping with the reputation of the author. His data, however, 
are not such as he would have chosen and are subjected, in cases, 
to severe criticism; he had to accept what was provided. In pur- 
pose the experiments were to direct legislation on British fisheries, 
but the conclusions may be applied to any marine fishery. Some 
fishes, cod, herring, and mackerel, for instance, are said to be inex- 
haustible and need no protection ; others may be temporarily reduced 
in numbers by the fisherman. Of these latter the impoverishments 
are only temporary and are self-curative; nature restores and main- 
tains the balances; extermination, as a result of man’s efforts, is 
apparently impossible. Extended series of thorough scientific inves- 
tigations are shown to be of the greatest need ; for, admitting that it 
is not possible to exterminate, and that overfishing, through rendering 
the grounds unprofitable, brings its own correction, the vital question 
is how best to prevent depletion and to keep up the supply all the 
time. Aside from the species, each of the various localities must 
eventually be made a subject of special study, since they differ in 
readiness of recovery; few are so well situated for prompt renewals 
as the British Isles, in the broad sweep of the Gulf Stream. The 
author makes the statement that the California gray whale, Rachi- 
anectes glaucus, has been entirely destroyed by man. 
** Les Oiseaux ” is apparently the second volume in a series of 
handbooks on the fauna of France. There is an introduction of two 
pages on the anatomy of the bird; the rest of the volume is made 
up of keys to the families, genera, and species of all birds which 
have been known to occur in France. There is also a brief descrip- 
tion of each genus and species, with woodcuts of the heads of nearly 
every species, and many drawings of the whole bird. The status 
and distribution of each species are indicated. 
The drawings are in the style of the early part of this century; 
the center of gravity is rarely over the bird's base, and if two birds 
of the same genus are represented, their bills differ so widely that 
they might almost belong to different families. The nomenclature 
and classification are equally antiquated; six orders include the 
birds which, in a British manual, are divided into seventeen. The 
descriptions are apparently faithful, and the small compass of 
the book will doubtless recommend it to field naturalists. 
1 Acloque, A. Faune de France, Les Oiseaux. Paris, J. B. Bailliere et Fils. 
pp.87-336. 621 figs. 
