NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 225 
to engage in correspondence. In one of his letters at this 
time is an admonition that may be well laid to heart by all who 
are not thoroughly competent observers. ‘‘ Do try and give up 
thinking you have seen any rare bird which you do not shoot. It 
is the most unsafe course in natural history, and leads to in- 
numerable mistakes, and to the discrediting of the observer.”’ 
Of his papers reprinted in this volume are those ‘‘On the 
Distribution of Birds in Great Britain during the Nesting Season”’ 
(‘ Ibis,’ 1865), and a supplement consisting of ‘‘ Manuscript Notes 
in Mr. A. G. More’s interleaved copy, with a Summary’; ‘On 
the Geographical Distribution of Butterflies in Great Britain,” 
written in conjunction with T. Boyd (‘ Zoologist,’ 1858); and 
* Outlines of the Botany of the Isle of Wight” (Stanford’s ‘ New 
Guide to the Isle of Wight’). 
Mr. More was an old contributor to this Magazine during a 
period extending from 1849 to 1894, and many of the notes he 
thus published are also reprinted in the Appendix. 
A Sketch of the Natural History (Vertebrates) of the British 
Islands. By F. G. Aruato, F.R.G.S., &c. Wm. Black- 
wood & Sons. 
BritisH Zoology is not without a literature, and, judging from 
the plentitude of new books on the subject, we may rejoice that a 
popular taste has arisen for natural history subjects. Though 
well provided with standard books by competent authors on the 
different British Vertebrates, there was still room for a volume 
which combined the whole in an introductory but authentic 
method. ‘This opportunity Mr. Aflalo has attempted to seize, 
and his book will be, no doubt, welcomed by those who wish to 
consult a primer that will prove an incentive and guide to more 
Specialized study. 
It is not an altogether unusual reproach, that some readers, 
and a few reviewers, are satisfied with the perusal of a preface or 
introduction. We can only remark that if such scanty attention 
was paid to this volume, the result would still be an acquaintance 
with one of the most interesting general essays on British Zoology 
that has been written for a long time. We are too apt to seek 
biological phenomena in other zoological regions, and to ignore 
the lessons to be learned in our own islands. Many who have 
4ool. 4th Ser. vol. II., May, 1898. Q 
