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BOOK NOTICES. 

 Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands. —Issued by 



Lord Lilford, F.Z.S., &c, President of the British Ornithologists' Union. 



London: R. H. Porter, 6, Tenterden Street, W. Part I, October 1885. 

 The year 1885 has been decidedly an important one for British ornithology, for 

 it has witnessed the completion of the fourth edition of Yarrell's standard book on 

 British Birds, also of Mr. Seebohm's most useful book on their Eggs ; and the 

 commencement of the highly important work now under consideration. So far as 

 the letter-press of Yarrell is concerned, little is left to be desired, and for the next 

 quarter of a century it will remain the book on the subject, but its illustrations are 

 utterly inadequate to the requirements of a modern scientific production. That a 

 book containing really good coloured figures of our birds was wanted, we venture 

 to say no one acquainted with the subject will venture to deny. True it is that 

 Gould's plates are difficult to surpass, but then it is a work within the reach only 

 of ornithological nabobs, while Lord Lilford's, which we consider at the very least 

 their equals, are issued at a price within the reach of almost all. These chromo- 

 lithographed plates are the production of Mr. Keulemans, the best of modern bird 

 painters, and we consider them the most satisfactory figures of British birds extant, 

 and it is with extreme pleasure that we recommend them to all our readers who are 

 ornithologically inclined. We should remark that the work, as its title implies, 

 consists of plates only, but a sheet to each picture — giving references to descriptions, 

 &c, of the species by leading naturalists (chiefly British), the faunal position in 

 Britain, and the French, German, and Spanish names — is given. 



Natural History of British Zoophytes, including the Hydroida, 



Actinozoa, and Polyzoa, found in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Channel 

 Islands. — By Arthur S. Pennington, F.L.S. Crown 8vo, 363 pages and 

 twenty-four plates (Lovell Reeve and Co.) 10s. 6d. 

 The publishers are to be congratulated on the appearance of a new volume of 

 their well-known and much appreciated Crown Series of works on British Natural 

 History, and the one now before us is a welcome successor to such useful books as 

 Rye's British Beetles and Staveley's British Spiders have already proved themselves 

 to be. The author, on his part, shows an extensive acquaintance with the literature 

 of his subject, and his book is calculated to prove a useful introduction to the sub- 

 ject in general, and to the more advanced, more bulky, and more technical works 

 of Hincks and Allman. The term Zoophytes not now possessing any rigid 

 scientific application, is a convenient popular term, and as such Mr. Pennington 

 makes use of it to include the Hydroida, Actinozoa, and Polyzoa. After a brief 

 history of zoophytology and a chapter upon classification and distribution, he gives 

 an account of the various families, genera, and species which are to be met with in 

 the British seas, making copious mention of localities (including a great many 

 North of England ones) for the less well-known forms, and giving numerous 

 extracts from the writings of his predecessors in the study. The families and 

 genera are characterized, and brief diagnoses are given for many of the species, a 

 few of which are described as new. It would, however, have been an advantage, 

 and one much appreciated by beginners, if the author could have seen his way to 

 giving either analytical tables, or a brief and terse diagnosis (for space will not 

 permit of elaborate descriptions) for every species. At the end of the book are 

 some useful directions for collecting and preserving these forms of life, a biblio- 

 graphy (which is, however, wanting in precision and detail), a glossary of terms, an 

 index of popular names, and a most valuable index of scientific names and syno- 

 nyms, the latter being distinguished by italic type. Typographically the book is 

 not quite all that could be desired, for although it is well and handsomely printed, 

 the use of one size of type for the body of the work leads to a sense of confusion on 

 the part of the reader, and a want of the clearness that would have been attained 

 by the judicious employment of a bolder type for -the specific names and of a 

 smaller one for the synonyms. The book is a decided acquisition to a natural 

 history library, and the author (who, by the way, is a Lancashire man) is entitled 

 to our thanks, while to his wife we owe the numerous plates which add much to 

 the usefulness of the work. 



Naturalist, 



