Tropic Daye. By E. J. Bonfield. (T. Fisher Unwin. 165.
net.) In this book Mr. Bonfield continues his record of life " on the smooth beaches and in the silent bush " of his island off the coast of North Queensland, a record begun in Corifeeeione of a Beach- comber. The new volume is in the main a collection of essays on various aspects of tropical nature. Of special interest is the chapter on Pearls, in which he relates curious and romantic tales of the pearl industry, and tells us how he himself once saw a black pearl in the making. Included in the book are some sketches of native life, and at least one of them, the story of " Soosie," provides material for such a strange romance of the tropics as attracted Robert Louis Stevenson, and in our own day attracts Mr. Joseph Conrad. But we doubt whether even genius such as theirs could make the ghastly end of the tale acceptable to the public.
Previous page
