NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 199 



able service, and his volume will prove a very handy source of 

 reference to those who wish for an easy introduction to the 

 biononiical observations of Gilbert White. Of course this publi- 

 cation lacks some valuable notes contributed by certain other 

 editors. 



The British Woodlice. By Wilfred Mark Webb, F.L.S., and 

 Charles Sillem. Duckworth & Co. 

 This small volume supplies one of the desiderata to all 

 naturalists, viz., a book of reference to a small and, in a general 

 significance, little-studied group of animals. These terrestrial 

 isopod Crustacea — represented in Britain, according to our 

 authors, by twenty-five species — are each beautifully illustrated 

 on separate plates, which renders their identification a matter of 

 little difficulty. Of these no fewer than seventeen have been 

 found in the county of Essex, where the authors' investigations 

 have been principally made. This monograph originally appeared 

 in the 'Essex Naturalist,' and is a further example of the great 

 stimulus given to all naturalistic studies — we will not say local, 

 but county studies, and we might well give a larger definition — 

 by the foundation of the Essex Field Club. This publication is 

 not intended to be the last word on the subject, but it certainly 

 is the best to work with, and should be largely used in other 

 counties than Essex. How many local societies can give offhand 

 the number of species of Woodlice which occur in the area of 

 their investigations ? 



The Eggs of European Birds. Part I. By the Ptev. Francis 

 C. B. Jourdain, M.A., &c. B. H. Porter. 



We quite recently (ante, p. 40) called attention to the appear- 

 ance of another book on this subject by Mr. Dresser, and we 

 have now before us the first part of Mr. Jourdain's publication. 

 This is announced to be completed in about ten parts, containing 

 about one hundred and forty coloured plates. Geographical 

 races are fully recognized and described, and the nomenclature 

 recommended by the Fifth International Zoological Congress has 

 been adopted. This instalment contains fourteen beautifully 

 coloured plates, and the text is very full and informative. We 

 reserve further remarks to a notice of the work when completed. 



