Reviews and Book Notices. 
71 
Butterflies and Moths in Romance and Reality, by W. F. Kirby. Lon- 
don : S.P.C.K., pp. 178 and 28 coloured plates. 5s. net. Before the work 
appeared, W. F. Kirby died, and it was therefore seen through the press 
by Dr. W. E. Kirby, who has left it, as far as possible, in the form pre- 
pared by the author. The book begins with ‘ What are Butterflies and 
Moths ? ’ and then deals with their development, numbers, destructiveness, 
enemies, classification, ‘butterflies in poetry’, etc. There are several illus- 
trations in the text, but by far the outstanding feature of the volume lies 
in the 28 coloured plates which portray the insects as near life like as we 
remember to have seen them. 
The Secrets of Nature Exhumed, by Lady Blount (‘ Zeteo’), Worthing, 
variously paged, second edition. Lady Blount, whose charming portrait 
appears on the cover, herein tilts at astronomers and ‘ globites, ’ both in 
prose and verse. On the cover is also a diagram showing the position of an 
■observer on the planet at various itmes of the day, with the description 
that : — 
‘ At («) man in his tent must be, 
He through its bounds can’t enter, 
Xo matter if on Earth or Sea, 
He’s in his own eye’s centre. 
Where e’er he moves his tent moves too, 
And then he gets a different view.’ 
There is a poem on ‘ The Ancient Apple,’ which Lady Blount has also 
set to music ‘ with a striking refrain,’ the first verse of which reads : — 
‘ Sir Isaac, called Newton, once dreamt a strange dream 
After dinner, so full of good things ; 
Which sweetly inspired him to write a new theme, 
To make his Globe fly without wings. 
Under an old apple tree in the shade 
He dozed till an apple fell down. 
It pounced on his nose, which much redder it made, 
Then alighted all squashed on his gown.’ 
We learn that a ‘ Cambridge Scholar,’ a Dr. , M.D., B.A., etc., 
states that he has learnt more truth relating to astronomy from Lady 
Blount’s writings than from all those Professors at Cambridge from whom 
he received the gold medal for Astronomy in which he excelled,’ and we 
don’t for a moment suppose he was pulling Lady Blount’s leg — to use a 
modem expression. But not being an astronomer ourselves we must 
leave our readers to peruse the book and form their own conclusions. 
The Animal Kingdom Illustrated, by Prof. Zwanziger, translated by 
G. K. Gude. London : S.P.C.K., 92 f’cap pages and 27 double plates, 
5s. 6d. net. The book contains illustrations (coloured) of typical repre- 
sentatives of all the principal families. In the case of those of economic 
or industrial importance, elaborate and detailed accounts of their habits 
are given, while those merely of general interest are dealt with in a more 
concise manner. The salient characters of all the divisions and classes, 
as well as of most families and genera, into which the Animal Kingdom 
is divided, form a special feature of this work, which is intended to arouse 
the interest of young readers in the wonders of the Animal Kingdom. 
Altogether 231 species are dealt with, each being represented by a coloured 
figure. These occur on plates measuring 16 x 13 inches each. The 
drawings are not too highly coloured, and are generally well done. It will 
make a welcome gift book for a young naturalist. 
A specimen of the Bohemian Waxwing made its appearance at 
Hunmanby, near Filey, just before Christmas, and, being a rare bird, it 
was promptly shot by one William Bolt. Another was shot at Howden 
•on Dec. 20th, and another at North Burton. 
1914 Feb. 1. 
