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NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



A Bird Collector's Medley. By E. C. Arnold, M.A. 

 West, Newman & Co. 



This is a book written by an enthusiastic bird collector, who 

 shoots and sets up his own specimens, and is his own artist. 

 He has, however, fallen on evil times. As he remarks : — " Time 

 was when the possession of a good collection of stuffed birds 

 tended to distinguish a man as a naturalist ; to-day he is more 

 likely to find himself regarded as a cold-blooded and heartless 

 butcher"; and there is little doubt that, among Norfolk orni- 

 thologists at least, the narrative of his foray on the Broads, and 

 his shooting of some of the scarce and jealously guarded Bearded 

 Tits, which resulted in his having spent " a thoroughly delightful 

 day," will not eradicate that impression. 



But most of us, some time at least, have known the delights 

 of collecting, and used the gun ; the writer of this notice, at all 

 events, must make that avowal, and it is not so many years ago 

 that a rare bird would entice him, gun in hand, over many a 

 weary trek on the Transvaal veld ; he must also acknowledge 

 his having, when a boy, shot his first bird on Patterson's 

 Breydon. It is living again the old life to read these interesting 

 pages, and we must remember that many of the rare visitors 

 secured by the collector would not have remained and bred 

 if unmolested, nor would they have otherwise been recorded. 

 Nevertheless, as we grow older the dislike of taking animal 

 life becomes more pronounced, even apart from that of the 

 rarer species ; the killing of a wounded and disabled animal is 

 always an ordeal. 



Mr. Arnold takes us over many good haunts of rare birds, 

 and incidentally gives us many facts and hints. The " Notes 

 on Bird-preserving " contain nuggets of experience. On bird 

 protection one paragraph is worthy of the utmost considera- 

 tion : — " There should be scattered about, here and there in our 

 island, a few well-chosen bird sanctuaries, where a gun is never 

 fired, and where the birds can breed in peace. The Fame 



