MANUAL OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
125 
Mr. Herbert Spencer. —This distinguished philosopher completed 
his 68th year on Friday, 27th April last, having been born at Derby in 
1820. At a meeting of the Sociological section of the Birmingham 
Natural History and Microscopical Society, held on Tuesday, 24th 
April, on the motion of Mr. W. B. Grove, B.A., President of the 
Society, seconded by Mr. W. R. Hughes, F.L S., President of the 
section, a resolution of congratulation was unanimously passed on the 
occasion, and Mr. F. G. Cullis, F.G.S., the Hon. Secretary, was 
requested to communicate it to Mr. Spencer. 
A NEW ILLUSTRATED MANUAL OF BRITISH 
BIRDS * 
It gives us much pleasure to draw attention to a new 
book about British birds, which, so far as the first part 
enables us to judge, will supply a long felt want. It is to be 
issued in about twenty monthly shilling parts, each contain¬ 
ing forty pages and twenty illustrations. The latter will be 
mostly the same as the wood cuts in the fourth edition of 
“ Yarrell’s British Birds,” the general excellence of which is 
so well known as to render praise of them quite superfluous. 
When completed the volume will contain nearly 800 pages, 
and will provide a convenient illustrated hand-book, embody¬ 
ing concise descriptions of the geographical distribution, 
habits, nesting, plumage, and in fact all other needful inform¬ 
ation, which can be compressed into the allotted space, of 
all our British birds. Two pages will be given to each 
species, inclusive of the illustrations, of which there will 
be more than 850. The author is Mr. Howard Saunders, 
F.L.S., F.Z.S., editor of the third and fourth volumes of the 
last (fourth) edition of “Yarrell’s British Birds.” This 
book promises to be of great use to young ornithologists, 
and will, we do not doubt, find a place in the libraries of all 
who desire to possess a reliable book about British birds, but 
who cannot afford to buy the more costly books, which, until 
now, have been the only ones on the subject worth possess¬ 
ing. To enable our readers to judge for themselves, we 
subjoin one of the descriptive articles from the first part, 
with its illustration, for the use of which we are indebted to 
the courtesy of the publishers. We warmly recommend 
this new manual to all who are interested in ornithology:— 
* “ An Illustrated Manual of British Birds,” by Howard Saunders,* 
F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. In monthly parts. Price Is. London : Gurney 
and Jackson (successors to Mr. Van Voorst). 
