440 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



may well find its structure more strange than fiction, and the 

 consideration of its morphology an intellectual feast." 



Egyptian Birds ; for the most part seen in the Nile Valley. By 

 Charles Whymper. Adam & Charles Black. 



The question is often asked as to the best plan for writing 

 and publishing a book on the birds of some Continental or other 

 favourite resort of visitors. In this volume Mr. Whymper has 

 gone very far in answering that inquiry ; but, as he states in 

 his "Foreword" : "The scientific man will find little that is new 

 in these pages ; they are not meant for him — they are alone 

 meant for the wayfaring man who, travelling this ancient Egypt, 

 wishes to learn something of the birds he sees." Some fifty 

 birds are selected, a very representative sample, and these form 

 the subject of individual coloured plates, some of which are 

 absolutely fascinating in fidelity and background. The above 

 remarks are sufficient to explain that this volume is naturally 

 outside works like those of Shelley or Von Heuglin on the same 

 subject, and no comparison is intended, but it will nevertheless 

 have a considerable ornithological importance if the book is 

 taken up by Egyptian visitors, for it should have a recognition 

 in Cairo. There are true lovers of birds who are in no sense 

 ornithologists, and there are some ornithologists who in the true 

 sense can scarcely be called lovers of birds ; in fact, it might as 

 well be claimed that the hunting man is a lover of foxes or the 

 angler a lover of fishes. To the first-named circle we commend 

 this book. 



There is an interesting though somewhat regrettable state- 

 ment respecting the Senegal Sand-grouse (Pterocles senegalhts). 

 Capt. Shelley, in 1872, gave localities where they might be found, 

 "and ever since he gave that information there has been each 

 winter a regular invasion of British and other ardent sportsmen 

 to each of the places named to have a little Sand-grouse shoot- 

 ing. Eesult : at those places there are now none whatever, and 

 no one living there seems to know anything more about Sand- 

 grouse than that annually large numbers of men come with 

 shooting equipment ready to make record bags, and go away 

 without firing a shot." 



