Welsh Journals

TREES, Woods AND MAN. H. L. EDLIN. London Collins (" New Naturalist series). 1956. Mr. Edlin, like other contributors to the New Naturalist books, is an enthusiast for him, the trees can do no wrong, and he is even unwilling to believe that soils may deteriorate under conifer- ous trees. In this book, one of the most valuable in the series, he has assembled a great deal of information he is factual, not senti- mental, in his insistence that most of our finest woods are not natural, but are plantations. He describes forestry methods and forestry economics as well as the uses of different trees, and he mentions our past lag in forestry research. The historical chapter on the clearance of British woodlands is very condensed, and some of the statements might well be mod- ified. Celtic fields do not take the form of strip lynchets (p. 91) probably quite considerable areas of lowland forest in the south and east of England were cleared in Roman times (p. 92). But he well describes the planting of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the fine photographs-some of those in colour, alas, are not well reproduced-show how extensions of our forests may not damage but may even enchance the beauty of our landscape. Only the jacket design raises doubts, for it shows rows of geometrical numbered trees does it represent a forester's dream or a naturalist's nightmare ? A.S.T. GOWER ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Bulletin No. 4 and Field Notes (March Ist-August 1st, 1957). We have received from Dr. Hambury of 174, Gower Road, Sketty, Swansea, particulars of this new Society, which has made a strong beginning with field and indoor meetings. We wish it every success. The President, Col. H. Morrey Salmon, will lecture to the Society on Birds of Glamorgan-their changing status in the last thirty years at 7.30 p.m. on 27th September, at the Royal Institution, Swansea. The Bulletin includes records of Black-necked Grebe (Whiteford Point-7 birds, March 1st — 24th) first record of Fulwar breeding in Gower (one egg Lewes Castle, June 1957) Eider, 24 ducks and drakes non-breeding, (June 1957, Whiteford Pt.) Red-footed Falcon, (23rd May, Clyne Common) Puffins (4 seen) still appear at Worm's Head, but Lesser Black-backed Gulls no longer breed there. V.A.P.