SELBORNIANA. 
37 
us (in confidence if need be) of the mischievous purposes for which the scarlet 
agaric is employed by rustics ; he has referred to this elsewhere as well as in the 
present volume. 
Prof. L. C. Miall’s Short Natnrt-ShuUei differ in style from the essays we 
have been considering. They are more various, more definitely instructive — 
which by no means implies that they are wanting in interest, as every one who has 
read the author’s Object Lessons from Nature will understand. The book is 
really a kind of diary for 1895— a diary concerning things which happened to in- 
terest Mr. Miall at the time, and had not been fully discus-sed in elementary books. 
He awakens our sympathy in his very first entry, for we, too, have known the 
difficulty of distinguishing the adder’s tongue, and the subsequent ease of finding 
it when once the eye had been taught to recognize it. Selbornians will be de- 
lighted with his notes on the characteristics of (Jilbert White, which we hope, 
when space allows, to do ourselves the pleasure of quoting ; meanwhile, his testi- 
mony to the perennial value of White’s book may be cited : “ I can, after forty or 
four hundred readings, take up the Natural History of Selhorne again, and 
briiihten with it that last hour of the day when work is put aside, and the house 
is still.” 
Many original suggestions are scattered up and down the book, e.g., “ I 
should much like to see a British Flora which would be intelligible without a 
dictionary to anybody who would first take the trouble to master ihe structure of 
half a dozen plant types. The thing could be done, and if done in a human way, 
without respect to the scruples of highly special students, would do much to 
enlarge the body of working naturalists.” We remember that some years ago 
Mr. Kuskiii, in conversation, said something of the same kind, though his 
ambition was also to produce a really good figure of every British plant. The 
chapter on moorland plants, from which we quote this passage, is one of the best 
in the book, and shows that Mr. .Miall has qualifications for the task he has 
suggested. Other essays of special interest are those on “ Weeds,” “The Cabbage 
Butterfly,” “ Cabbages and Turnips,” and “ The Cuckoo ” ; but where all are so 
good it is difficult to particularize. 
This is an excellent example of a class of book which is often very badly done, 
and is as different as possible from the wearisome compilations which are still too 
frequently met with. The reason is that Mr. Miall has observed the things he 
talks about. As he truly says, “ All the naturalists in the world could not 
exhaust the subject ; ” this being so, it is to be hoped others will follow on his 
lines — a genuine observer will always find welcome recognition. The numerous 
illustrations by Mr. A. R. Hammond add considerably to the usefulness of the 
volume. 
SELBORNIANA. 
The Bullfinclt. — Can any of your readers help me to “whitewash” the 
character of the bullfinch ? A gardener in our neighbourhood systematically kills 
all bullfinches, because he says they eat the tender shoots of the gooseberry bushes. 
Can it be proved that they eat the shoots that are infected with some grub ? 
Edith M. Moir. 
Ling Cottage, Shottermill, Haslemere. 
[We fear that a correspondence on this point may prove almost as voluminous 
as that on the sparrow, some years back, and will therefore ask that answers to 
Miss Moir’s questions should be sent to her direct. — Ed. N.N.'\ 
Wholesale Slaughter of Robins. — It seems a prevalent fashion for 
ladies to wear ball dresses trimmed with robins’ feathers, and hundreds of these 
little birds are killed for the purpose. I was conversing with a man who plies 
the trade of trapping robbins ; he informed me he skins them, and sends the skins 
(with the feathers on) to London, for the above purpose. Is not this barbarous 
way of adornment a disgrace to society? 
Cranbrook. 
A. W. H. 
