SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Under this heading we Notice such Books of the week as hare not bun 'carted for renew in other forms.] Hampstead Heath : its Geology and Natural History. Pre- pared under the auspices of the Hampstead Scientific Society. (Fisher Unwin. 10s. 6d. net.)—The excellent idea, originated by the Hampstead Scientific Society, of making a local scientific survey of the field of its operations—namely, of the area within a. radius of three miles of the flagstaff on the summit of Hampstead Heath—deserves to be widely imitated. The five main divisions of the book deal respectively with Topography, Geology, Climate, Botany, and Zoology, and each section has been admirably compiled by members of the Society devoted to that particular branch of science. As regards natural history, the district under consideration is unusually interest- ing, considering bow near it lies to the centre of London. It is stated, for instance, that there are still badgers in a wild state living in the woods on Lord Mansfield's estate at Ken Wood; and "in the year 1901 a badger was surprised in Millfield Lane by a passer-by and killed, apparently without reason." An unexpectedly large number of species of birds, again, are recorded as having been observed on the heath, and the same may be said as regards insects, while the flora is also widely varied. The members of the Society are to be congratulated on their handling of the plentiful subject-matter at their disposal.
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