Reviews



329



REVIEWS


A History of Sussex Birds. By John Walpole-Bond. 3 vols.

H. F. and G. Witherby, Ltd., 326 High Holborn, W.C. 1. Price

£5 5 s. net.


This imposing work deals very fully and carefully with all recorded

bird residents and visitors to Sussex, amounting to nearly 450 species

and subspecies ; some breeding regularly, others that used to do so ;

occasional breeders and passage migrants, accidental visitors, and

probable escapes from captivity. The evidence, written and hearsay,

is carefully sifted for and against, and copious footnotes added. The

author began to amass material for the work thirty years ago but as he

says in his Introduction, no one man can pretend even with all the help

obtainable to cope with the whole of a county completely, and for this

reason no county book can be done really satisfactorily by one man,

though most readers will agree that Mr. Walpole-Bond has come as

near to the ideal as any one could hope. He writes very interestingly, no

dry-as-dust chronicle, gives his reasons for or against the records

quoted, and adds distribution through the county, nesting notes with

number and colouring of the eggs and the kind of place where the nests

are likely to be found.


The result is eminently readable and packed with information

which will appeal to the general reader as much as to the ornithologist.

The fifty-three coloured plates by Philip Bickman add much to the

charm of the book.


Natives of Sussex may well be proud of their long list of records

and it is hoped that further notices of occurrences with data will be

sent to Mr. Walpole-Bond for inclusion in the next edition of his fine

book.


E. F. C.



The Flight of Birds. By C. Horton-Smith. H. F. and G. Witherby,

Ltd., 326 High Holborn, London, W.C. 1. 7s. 6 d. net.


The author modestly claims that this book is “ intended to serve as

an introduction 55 to his subject “ rather than a comprehensive survey ”,

but he contrives to impart a great deal of instruction while avoiding



