NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS.*
ALTHOUGH it was published more than a year ago in America, we have no hesitation in placing first upon the list of recent bird-books Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist, by Mr. Frank M. Chapman, a well-known writer and Curator of Ornithology in the American Museum of Natural History. In this volume he has put on record observations made during the last seven years whilst collecting material for "habitat groups" in the museum. Mr. Chapman gives photographs of some of these groups which are of a most artistic and ambitions nature. No naturalist can read this account of expeditions to some twenty localities in North America without regretting that he has not had the good fortune to observe the wonderful bird-life which is so vividly described. First, there is Gardiner's Island, off the Atlantic coast, where some two hundred pairs of fish-hawks, or ospreys, may be seen nesting, and Cobb's Island, off Cape Charles, interesting as the home of the black skimmer. Six species of tern once nested there ; but one at least has been exterminated by milliners, and two thousand eight hundred birds were killed in three days. They were packed in cracked ice and shipped to New York for skinning, only ten cents being paid for each. Next Mr. Chapman takes us to Florida, where Pelican Island was happily put under a warden and declared a Federal reserve by President Roosevelt. This is the nesting-place of some three thousand brown pelicans. Florida is also, as every one knows, the resort of numberless herons, egrets, and spoonbills, whose " rookeries " few naturalists but many plume- hunters have visited. Perhaps the most interesting chapters are those which deal with Bahama bird-life and its "flamingo cities." Thousands of nesting flamingoes, of whose home life little is accurately known, are, to judge from the splendid series of photographs obtained, well described as "the most remarkable sight in the bird world." We can only mention Mr. Chapman's expeditions to Western Canada and Cali- fornia in this very inadequate notice of a delightful book. The English reader will turn with interest to the last chapter for the first impressions which the appearance and song of our well-known British birds produced on a keenly intelligent American ornithologist. No praise is too great for Mr. Chapman's admirable photographs, and he writes exceedingly well.
We pass from America to the Antipodes. The Kea, by Mr. George R. Marriner, is an interesting little monograph con- taining a full account of almost all that is known about the New Zealand parrot which in the " sixties " developed sheep-killing propensities. The author is Curator of the Public Museum at Wanganui, and much that he has to say is based on personal experience. The lea, which appears to have been discovered in 1856, is confined to the mountain country of the South Island. The rewards offered, both by the Government and the sheep-farmers, for its destruction have led to much shooting and poisoning, but the species is far from extinct Mr. Marriner, in discussing how the lea became carnivorous, thinks that hunger led to its down- fall, mut this is confirmed by the fact that the birds are most destructive in winter and early spring. From eating scraps of dead sheep the leas took to settling on the loins of the living victims, tearing out the wool, fat, and flesh, and apparently enjoying the pain and terror they inflict. It seems to be a mistake to suppose that the sheep's kidneys are the special object of the attack.
The next book before us deals with birds in captivity. To fanciers of ducks, geese, and swans we can recommend Ornamental Waterfowl, by the Hon. Rose Hubbard, which
• (I) Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist. By Frank IL Chapman. With 250 Photographs from Nature by the Author. London : Hodder and Stoughton. [12s. net.}—(2) The Ken: a New Zealand Problem. By George B. Marriner, F.R.M.S. London: Williams and Norgate. [7s. 6d. net.]— (3) Ornamental Waterfowl. By Hon. Rose Hubbard. Second Edition. London Simpkin, Marahall, and Co. [6s. net.]—(4) The Grizzly Bear the Narratire of a Hunter-Naturalist. By William H. Wright Illustrated from Photographs by the Author and J. B. Kerfoot. London : T. Werner Laurie. [7s. 6d. net.}- () Leisure Hours with Mallte. By E. P. Larken. Illustrated. London : T. Fisher Ifnwin. [5s.]—:(6) Nature. By J. H. Crawford. Illustrated. London : Swan Sonnenschem and Co. [5s.)--(7) Wilderness Babies. By Julia Augusta Schwartz. Illustrated from Drawings by John Hnybers and from Photographs. London : H. R. Allenson. [6s.]—(8) The Handy Natural History : Maminals. By Ernest Prothezoe, F.Z.S. With 33 Coloured Plates and 182 other Illustrations. London : R.T.S. [5s. net.]—(9) The Young Naturalist : a Guide to British Aninu4 Life. By W. Percival Westell, F.L.S., If.B.O.U. With 8 Coloured Plates by F. C. Newell and 240 Photographic I:Castrations. London: Methuen and Co. Leal thoroughly covers the whole subject. It is eighteen years since the first edition appeared, and so this is virtually a new book. Miss. Hubbard in the earlier part of her work deals shortly with management, food, breeding, diseases, pinioning, and exhibiting. In the second part she gives detailed descriptions of about a couple of hundred species that hare been, or might be, kept in this country. This portion contains a vast deal, of fnformslion either derived from personal knowledge or obtained from trustworthy sources. Miss Hubbard has been in correspondence_ with various ornithologists and others who, like the Duchess of Bedford, Mr. Blaauw, and Mr. Jamrach, are authorities on the acclimatisation of water birds, and she is herself an authority on poultry. The book contains eight illustrations by Mr. Frohawk, selected for no apparent reason from many others that would be welcome and might have been chosen.
We pass now from birds to bears. Among readable books about wild animals may be recommended The Grizzly Bear, by Mr. William H. Wright. This narrative of a hunter-naturalist is illustrated with remarkable flashlight photographs, and is written in plain American language. The attractive, straightforward style of the writer compels the reader to believe some extraordinary adventures. Mr. Wright was the son of a New Hampshire farmer, and having been fascinated by J. C. Adam's book of adventures, he determined to become a grizzly-bear hunter. There can be few who have greater personal knowledge of the habits, food, and character- istics of Urns horribilis, and what our author writes is worthy of attention. Having once killed five grizzlies with five successive shots in the space of a few minutes, Mr. Wright now finds his desire to kill this formidable beast diminished. He has taken to the natural history camera, and Mr. Kerfoot, a New York amateur photographer, has proved a useful assistant with flashlight apparatus. The book contains a deal of interesting matter about the habits of bears.
Those who like a soothing and pleasant course of essays on Nature, country life, and sport can be advised to read two books that have lately appeared. Leisure Hours with Nature, by Mr. E. P. Larken, is the more substantial and varied, and also it is the better illustrated, and is printed on the pleasanter paper. A good many chapters have appeared as Nature articles in a variety of newspapers. There is not much originality in Mr. Larken's writings ; but they are all easily written and easy to read. Is it fair to charge a writer with want of originality if he can find little new to say when his text is "Nesting Time," "Flowers in May," " In a Hayfield," or "The Pageant of the Year" ? Mr. Larken when he writes on "Snakes and their Ways," "Colouring of Birds' Eggs," or the "Uses of the Frog" is writing, it must be remembered, for an enormous class of readers who get no knowledge of zoology except in that mild and diluted form.
Our second book is somewhat more original. Mr. J. H. Crawford in Nature writes with skill and in an attractive but sentimental style. This is not his first book describing the phases of Nature on the seashore or in the fields. Those who 'enjoy reading about "Wind," "Nature's Easter," or "The Dunlin's Flight" will like this volume, which contains twenty-two detached essays. There is some good observing and good writing in it; but Mr. Crawford is mistaken if he really thinks that the sea-fisherman knows more about fish than the educated zoologist. That is his attitude towards Nature. He is not against " Nature-study " (to use a detest. able expression), but he seems to like much Nature-and little study. A pleasant book like this would be pleasanter on less heavy paper, and it gains from the illustrations nothing which it would not .possess without them.
Among numerous recent books for the young we have not found much that deserves to be mentioned. It is a great pleasure, therefore, after reading trash about animals, to find a book that may be unreservedly recommended for children. Wilderness Babies, by Miss Julia A. Schwartz, cannot fail to delight English children, though it is an American book about the typical animals of the United States. As a result, the bison is misnamed "buffalo," the wapiti "elk," the hare "rabbit," and the puma "panther." But that is a trifle, for the accounts of the lives and doings of all the young beasts are charmingly written in most simple language. In a short introduction the authoress has attempted with some skill and
• in words suitable to children to explain how animal life
appeared on the earth, and how different forms of both the lower and the higher animals reproduce themselves.
As popular books of zoology go, there is something to be said in praise of Mr. Ernest Protheroe's Handy Natural History, which is confined to mammals, and which is as accurate a compilation as can, apparently, be expected from a writer who does not want to be pedantic. For instance, though mammals are defined as bringing forth their young "alive," when the Manotrentata are reached their egg-laying habits are mentioned. But what is to be said of a modern writer on zoology who appears to regard the evolution of species by descent from common ancestors as a vexed and doubtful question, and who quotes the Book of Genesis to explain how the earth became peopled with animals P Such things show a remoteness from modern zoological knowledge that makes one suspicious of the remainder of the book. Having got through the introductory chapters and those on the relation of man to other animals (which are hopelessly out of touch with modern scientific zoology), Mr. Protheroe improves. When we reach the ungulates, he mentions the Eocene "ancestor" of the horse. "It was a little more than the size of a fox-terrier with four complete toes on the fore feet, and the rudiments of a thumb distinctly marked; on the hind feet were three toes." We will not dwell on the many incon- sistencies that Mr. Protheroe falls into. The illustrations are numerous. The little coloured figures are effective; and there are besides many photographs of living beasts and familiar cuts of skeletons. It may be thought that a book like this is quite suitable for children. But what would be thought of a writer on geography, for children, however excellent his book, if he began by stating that the earth was fiat?
On the paper wrapper in which the publishers send out The Young Naturalist we read as follows : "In this interesting, useful, and well-informed work the author has prepared a remarkable volume," &c. With the utmost desire not to be too critical of a compilation by an untrained zoologist like Mr. W. Percival Westell, we cannot conscientiously endorse this praise. Yet we can truthfully say that a schoolboy naturalist will be delighted to possess a compendious illus- trated volume which follows a scientific classification, and treats of all British animals after a fashion. Even protozoa are mentioned. The schoolboy naturalist will also let pass sentences like the following :—
"After all, however, it is a very small percentage of harm that is done, and certainly insufficient to justify any thinning out of the Squirrel's ranks (I knew of five which were shot in one morning recently close to my house), and the loafers who worry and tease these interesting woodland sprites by means of that most detestable of weapons the catapult."
The worst of Mr. Westell is that he omits to tell facts which are material for the young naturalist to know, and wastes pages with personal experiences of no more note than the following :—" Not long since I was noticing with interest the vast number of Rabbits in various poulterers' and other shops in London and at one of our large Metro- politan termini I was still further interested to observe many
thousands of these extraordinarily fecund rodents." Among numerous inaccuracies, we may point out that the characteristic incisor teeth of rodents are not confined to the lower jaw; that the sight of red-deer is not " acute " ; that the roe-deer measures more than "24 or 25 inches at the withers "; that the female and young red-deer are not called " does " and "fawns." We are not told that the weasel has no black tip to its tail, but that "the coloration of this Mammal is some- what similar to that of the stoat, etc." It is true to say that "in England few places now remain where the wild Red Deer may be found"; but why not name the places for the information of the young naturalist P The illustrations are good on the whole, except that of the trout, which lacks an adipose fin. The young naturalists of the present generation need something better than slipshod work like this.
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