Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/559

Rh the land than this poor Owl, the writer has always made it his endeavour to plead for and protect. Then, too, there is the wretched fashion of turning the masks, wings, and tails of these birds into fire-screens, and the still more senseless decoration of ladies' hats with their soft and downy feathers."

The few Steganopodes fall to the care of Mr. Henry O. Forbes, with whose name we are glad to see associated that of Anna Forbes, whom we have not forgotten as the authoress of "Insulinde." Mr. Forbes, however, has but just commenced his share of the work, and in future volumes will deal with the Herodiones, Odontoglossæ, and Gaviæ.

Some of the drawings by Mr. Frohawk, with their backgrounds, are very successful, and possess a charm of their own. We might instance the plates of the Redwing, Dipper, and Osprey as examples.

John Hunter was a great surgeon requires no telling; that he was also a great teacher the names of some of his pupils amply testify—Astley Cooper, Abernethy, and Edward Jenner were among the number; that he was a great collector is proved by the fact that his museum has been calculated to have contained more than 13,000 specimens; and that he was at heart an ardent naturalist will be manifest to any reader of this book.

"John Hunter was the youngest son, and his mother spoiled him." So writes his biographer, but the second statement we greatly doubt. It appears to be based on the fact that "He would do nothing but what he liked, and neither liked to be taught reading nor writing nor any kind of learning, but rambling amongst the woods, braes, &c, looking after birds'-nests, comparing their eggs—number, size, marks, and other peculiarities." His mother, probably, instead of spoiling him by this independence, helped to mould his practice of seeing for himself in after life, and thus indirectly inculcated the habit of proof by experience, and not faith by books. His career was not one of all sunshine. "First came the years of waiting for practice, that rise from the river of Time like the lean kine in Pharaoh's dream—poor