NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 79 



on his Religio Medici and Enquiry into Vulgar Errors, and some 

 of his most remarkable tracts, such as Hydriotaphia or Urn 

 Burial ; but in this volume Mr. Southwell has shown Browne to 

 have also been an observant Norfolk naturalist. It is pleasant 

 to read that in those days " Bistardse or Bustards are not 

 vnfrequent in the champain & feildie part of this country " ; and 

 in a footnote Mr. Southwell states that Browne in 1681 was on 

 the verge of discovering the presence of the gular pouch in this 

 bird, first demonstrated by Douglas in 1740. The Hoopoe 

 appears to have been not an uncommon bird in Browne's days 

 and aviculturists may be interested to learn that " Loxias or 

 curuirostra" were known then to be " kept in cages butt not to 

 outliue the winter." Among fishes, Browne's record of "a 

 sword fish or Xiphias or Gladius intangled in the Herring netts 

 at yarmouth " appears to be the only authentic record of this 

 southern species in British waters. 



If the charm of this book is to be found in the somewhat 

 quaint chronicles of Sir Thos. Browne, its value certainly 

 attaches to the copious and trustworthy notes of Mr. Southwell, 

 promoted and assisted in some instances by Prof. Newton. 

 These notes might stand by themselves as a commentary to the 

 zoology of Norfolk, and have the merit — not universally found 

 in annotation — of being accurate in observation, and also ex- 

 hibiting a knowledge of the literature, and much of the old 

 literature, on the subject. 



