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A NEW MANUAL OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



An Illustrated Manual of British Birds. By Howard Saunders, F.L.S., 

 F.Z.S., &c- With illustrations of nearly every species. London: Gurney 

 and Jackson, I, Paternoster Row. Parts I, 2, and 3, 1888. 



Those who are familiar with the literature of the general subject of 

 British ornithology will admit that the student of our avifauna is now 

 well supplied with most excellent text-books. The last few years have 

 witnessed the completion of the fourth edition of Yarrell's standard 

 book, and of the issue and completion of Mr. Seebohm's extremely 

 useful work on British Birds, with coloured illustrations of their eggs; 

 then we have now appearing at mtervals Lord Lilford's excellent 

 coloured illustrations, which form a most desirable companion to 

 either of the books just named, and to which we have had from time 

 to time to speak of in high terms of praise in these pages. These are 

 fairly exhaustive, and somewhat bulky and expensive works, hence a 

 manual on the subject, giving in an epitomised form all that it is 

 essential the field -naturalist and student should know about our 

 feathered animals — their plumage in all seasons and ages, their life- 

 history, their distribution at home and abroad — in as concise a manner 

 as possible, is, and has been for many years, a great desideratum. 

 Such a work commanding the appreciation of naturalists has not, we 

 believe, appeared since the excellent little volumes of Mr. Macgillivray, 

 issued in 1846. The book now under consideration supplies this want, 

 and supplies it admirably. The production of such a book requires 

 for its successful compilation an accurate and well-read author, and 

 it is a matter for sincere congratulation that such a really excellent 

 ornithologist has been secured for the task. We are well aware that 

 Mr. Howard Saunders requires no recommendation at our hands, but 

 some of our readers are not ornithologists, and we would remind these 

 that Mr. Saunders edited Volumes III. and IV. of the last edition of 

 Yarrell's ' British Birds ' in a fashion that earned for him the gratitude 

 of all British ornithologists ; for six years, too, Mr. Saunders filled 

 the honourable and most important position of one of the editors of 

 the ' Ibis,' the leading journal of scientific ornithology, and it is only 

 just to him to say that during his term of office the high standard of 

 excellency which has always characterised the pages of that classical 

 publication has been most fully maintained. It must be manifest to 

 all that such a desirable book by such an excellent author is a most 

 valuable addition to the faunal histories of our islands. It supplies, 

 at a price which places it within the reach of all, a well-illustrated — 

 for nearly all the excellent woodcuts of the complete Yarrell are 

 given — and thoroughly reliable book, one alike indispensable to the 

 naturalist, since it aftbrds him the very essence of British ornithology, 



Aug. 1888. 



