27 APRIL 1901, Page 49

Bird Notes Afield. By Charles A. Keeler. (D. P. Elder

and Morgan Shepherd, San Francisco. 6s. 3d.)—This little book of essays and sketches contains a very pleamntly written account of bird-life in California. Mr. Keeler intends it for those who, knowing little or nothing about birds, may wish to learn the names and habits of those around them. He writes with much feeling for the charms of the outdoor world and the beauties of California. At the end of the book he gives a complete, but un- technical, descriptive list of the Californian land birds, and an artificial key by means of which the student of ornithology may discover the identity of any bird he comes across.