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NOTICES OP NEW BOOKS. 



The Birds of Kent. By William J. Davis. J. and W. Davis, 



Dart ford. 



This book does not lend itself to detailed comment or review. 

 It is the first attempt at dealing with the birds of the whole 

 county, and must be of a somewhat pioneer character, for the 

 area of Kent is moderately large and varied, and the observers — 

 at least, those made use of by Mr. Davis — are not numerous. It 

 is probable therefore that, however useful this book is, and will 

 be to all bird- students of the county, very much more still 

 requires to be done in the way of observation and locality, 

 though its census is likely to be nearly adequate. 



We are glad to read that Alcedo ispida is not scarcer " to any 

 appreciable extent " than it used to be in Kent. In Surrey, near 

 the western borders of Kent, the Kingfisher is probably increas- 

 ing in numbers, especially along the course of the Mole. With 

 many of the birds, however, the author has not brought the 

 narrative up to date. The pages of ' The Zoologist ' seem to have 

 been little consulted, and so many records have been missed 

 which would have added tone to the volume, and it therefore only 

 provides a sketch rather than a detailed account ; in fact, there is 

 available material for a work of twice the size. 



We have not much fault to find otherwise, but there is one 

 striking lack of proportion in biological comparison. Writing 

 on Locustella ncevia, Mr. Davis states " the note of this bird 

 resembles that of a grasshopper." The Orthoptera stridulate by 

 special organs, and the sound they produce cannot be described 

 as notes in the sense of the song or notes of birds. 



Birds I Have Known. By Arthur H. Beavan. T. Fisher Unwin. 



This is a chatty book about birds which the author has seen 

 in various parts of the world, chiefly of common species which 

 the average globe-trotter may expect to meet with. The orni- 

 thologist will scarcely find original observations in such a volume, 



