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BOOK NOTICES : NOTES AND NEWS. 



The Birds of Cumberland critically studied, including some 

 Notes on the Birds of Westmoreland.— By the Rev. H. A. 

 Macpherson, M.A., and William Duckworth. Carlisle : Chas. Thurman & 

 Sons, 1886. 



It is again a pleasant duty to bring under the notice of our readers another 

 important faunal work, relating not only to the region in which we are specially in- 

 terested, but to the north-western portion, which, strange to say, has so long wanted 

 a monographer or monographers. We cannot fail to notice at the outset, that our 

 authors have had a district to deal with which has claims beyond even residents in 

 the British Isles. Indeed, we take it, there are few spots more cherished than our 

 lovely lake-country. As we should naturally expect, the avi-fauna of Cumberland 

 is a rich one, its strength lying mainly in the number of breeding species, for 

 which its diversified surface affords suitable habitats ; the lowlands, mountains, 

 moors, woodlands, lakes, and coast affording a nursery for no less than 1 16 species, 

 as against 120 for Yorkshire and 114 for Lancashire respectively. The total 

 avi-fauna of the county is given at 250 species, of which 84 are residents, 81 

 periodic visitants, and 85 casual visitants. The weakness of the list, so to speak, 

 is to be found in the small numbers of the casual and accidental visitants from the 

 European continent, which are such an important feature in all east-coast lists. 

 Indeed not only are the interesting eastern forms, such as White's Thrush, &c, 

 absent, but such comparatively familiar species as the Shore Lark, Mealy Redpoll, 

 Hooded Crow, and others of frequent occurrence on the other side of England, are 

 more or less rare or uncommon visitants. It is to be regretted that the authors 

 have given such prominence to Westmoreland in their title, since the information 

 relating to that county is meagre, and not only so, but when given is unfortunately 

 mixed' up with the matter relating to their premier county, without that ready 

 distinction which is so very desirable. The treatment of the information given is 

 somewhat uneven as regards the space devoted to the different species, some being 

 treated of at length, while others of equal interest are somewhat briefly discussed. 

 In this work, as in Mr. Mitchell's Birds of Lancashire, it has been thought well 

 to make the initial letter of all specific names a capital. On this departure we 

 would remark that such a proceeding is against all the recognised canons relating 

 to zoological nomenclature, and hence the practice lacks that scientific precision 

 which all modern naturalists aim at maintaining. These are however small, very 

 small, defects, and happy are the authors against whom greater faults cannot be 

 urged. Indeed we regard the book as a valuable contribution to the geographical 

 distribution of our British birds, carried out on the lines on which a modern faunal 

 work should be shaped ; and the authors are to be congratulated upon, and may 

 take justifiable pride in, their work, which bears evidence of being the production 

 of painstaking and conscientious naturalists. The book is well got up, and is 

 embellished with a coloured map and an admirable coloured plate by Mr. 

 Keulemans, of that interesting bird the Dotterel, and we gladly recommend it to 

 our readers as in every way a creditable and satisfactory production. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 

 The name of Prof. A. H. Green, M.A., is in this year's list of fifteen selected 

 candidates for the Fellowship of the Royal Society, as also are those of P. II. Pye- 

 Smith, M.D., of Sheffield, and Henry Wilde, the electrician, of Manchester. 



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All our readers will hear with regret that the cause of the discontinuance of the 

 page of meteorological information which it was our custom to give, is that_Mr. 

 George Paul, F.G.S., who has so ably and kindly edited it, is leaving Shadwell, 

 which of necessity terminates the series of records which he has kept at that place. 



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Members of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union who had the pleasure of the 

 acquaintance of Mr. S. D. Bairstow, F.L.S., formerly of Huddersfield, will be 

 pleased to learn that he has this year been chosen President of the Eastern 

 Province Naturalists' Society at Port Elizabeth, Cape -Colony, a society which 

 he founded and acted as secretary to during the past few years. It is gratifying to 

 find — from a perusal of the annual report — how vigorously natural science is being 

 prosecuted in that part of the Colony against numerous adverse circumstances with 



which home naturalists have jcp^eac^Qg 



Naturalist, 



