NATURE'S NURSERY.
Nature's Nursery ; or, Children of the Wilds. By H. W. Shepheard-Walwyn, M.A., dtc. With 240 Illustrations from Nature by the Author. (Hutchinson and Co. 6s.)—This is a good example of the numerous books which now appear, illustrated with photographs, and setting forth the wonders of Nature, or giving instruction in biology, after a popular fashion. We cannot help thinking that most readers would prefer a style which was not so terribly facetious ; and that all but the youngest must weary of the expressions "Mrs. Bee," "Lady Deadnettle," "the debut of Mademoiselle Butterfly," and Nature's "Magic wand." What sense is there in referring to Darwin as "the great wizard," or the pod of a• bean as "My Lady Flora's luxurious nursery " ? But this is a question of taste, and Mr. Shepheard-Walwyn's new book contains much interesting matter on the devices by which animals and plants protect themselves against their enemies and propa- gate their race. There are also some extraordinarily pointless digressions on every imaginable subject, from the doings of Oxford scouts to the tricks of little girls who offer chocolates with soap instead of cream inside. A great number of photographs from Nature, specially taken for the book, illustrate the fertilisa- tion of flowers by insects; the hatching of chickens and their growth from the moment they appear until they are ten weeks old ; the growth of a beau; and the scattering of seeds by the wind and the devices which the plants have evolved. Perhaps the most interesting is a series taken at intervals of a few minutes, showing the development of a moth and a butterfly which have just emerged from the pupa case. In spite of his style, Mr. Shepheard-Walwyn's point of view is scientific, and he writes with an enthusiasm which may infect the boyish naturalist for whom the book is chiefly suited.
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