NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 395 



created no reminiscence of his awful death when we ate it at a 

 late breakfast ; and we are still sufficiently unregenerate to hope 

 that those who have the accident in opportunity to shoot will 

 remember us in the autumn. But this does not invalidate the 

 argument of Mr. Selous, and let us remember that the evolution 

 of ethics has been very slow, and is still going on ; while that we 

 have moral obligations to other animals than ourselves is a fact 

 only dawning as a revelation. The prophet and reformer must 

 be always in advance of their times, and possibly this is a mark 

 of their true vocation. 



Manual of the Birds of Iceland. By Henry H. Slater, M.A., 

 F.Z.S., &c , Rector of Thornhaugh, Northants. David 

 Douglas. 



Mr. Slater has made good use of his visits to Ultima Thule 

 by collecting the material for this Manual. He prefaces his 

 small volume with some valuable hints as to the pronunciation of 

 Icelandic names, and remarks that " many of us seem to consider 

 ourselves entitled to be a law unto ourselves in the manner of the 

 pronunciation and spelling of foreign names and words." A 

 remonstrance on this point will probably always apply, but even 

 some may ask with reference to English words why Mr. Slater 

 spells the name of the Duck generally known as " Shoveler " 

 with a double 1 ? The "Bibliography" is a specially welcome 

 feature, and some of the books are recommended " as likely to 

 be useful." We are quite sure that Mr. Slater's book now under 

 notice supplies a want, and will be more than useful; but all 

 books must be studied by and for themselves. Many an out-of- 

 the-way record is frequently found, and found only, in a decidedly 

 bad book. 



Those who take an interest in the advancing science of folk- 

 lore will find a subject of much interest in Mr. Slater's account 

 of the Cuckoo, "which has never been known to occur in 

 Iceland; and yet few Icelanders will be ignorant (they almost 

 universally have a literary turn) of the Icelandic name of the 

 Cuckoo — Gaukr, which is Eddaic, and yet, though the bird is 

 non-existent in Iceland, well known to-day." One of the most 

 entertaining narratives is that connected with the Northern 



