to engage in correspondence. In one of his letters at this time is an admonition that may be well laid to heart by all who are not thoroughly competent observers. "Do try and give up thinking you have seen any rare bird which you do not shoot. It is the most unsafe course in natural history, and leads to innumerable mistakes, and to the discrediting of the observer."
Of his papers reprinted in this volume are those "On the Distribution of Birds in Great Britain during the Nesting Season"
('Ibis,' 1865), and a supplement consisting of "Manuscript Notes in Mr. A.G. More's interleaved copy, with a Summary"; "On the Geographical Distribution of Butterflies in Great Britain," written in conjunction with T. Boyd ('Zoologist,' 1858); and "Outlines of the Botany of the Isle of Wight" (Stanford's 'New Guide to the Isle of Wight').
Mr. More was an old contributor to this Magazine during a period extending from 1849 to 1894, and many of the notes he thus published are also reprinted in the Appendix.
British Zoology is not without a literature, and, judging from the plentitude of new books on the subject, we may rejoice that a popular taste has arisen for natural history subjects. Though well provided with standard books by competent authors on the different British Vertebrates, there was still room for a volume which combined the whole in an introductory but authentic method. This opportunity Mr. Aflalo has attempted to seize, and his book will be, no doubt, welcomed by those who wish to consult a primer that will prove an incentive and guide to more specialized study.
It is not an altogether unusual reproach, that some readers, and a few reviewers, are satisfied with the perusal of a preface or introduction. We can only remark that if such scanty attention was paid to this volume, the result would still be an acquaintance with one of the most interesting general essays on British Zoology that has been written for a long time. We are too apt to seek biological phenomena in other zoological regions, and to ignore the lessons to be learned in our own islands. Many who have
