1909. 15 



REVIEWS. 



A NATURE FAIRY STORY. 



The Chang'eling'. What a Bo}-, whose eyes had been opened, saw of 

 the real Life of the Wild Creatures round his Home. By vSir DiGBV 

 PiGOTT, C.B., IM.B.O.U., with many illustrations by the author and 

 Charles Tresidder. Pp. 1S7. London: Witherby and Co., 1908 

 Price, 2s. 6/. net. 



This little book is a charming mixture of natural history and fairj' 

 fancies ; it is worth}' of comparison with Charles Kingsley's immortal 

 "Water Babies." The hero, a delicate little boy named Tommy, makes 

 the acquaintance of a "Johnny Fair}-," who successively changes both 

 himself and Tommy into a long series of different wild creatures, con- 

 siderately sending another fairy to take Tommy's place in nursery or 

 schoolroom. Thus Tommy learns by experience the ways of insect, 

 beast and bird. As a Dormouse, he is pursued by Owl and Weasel ; as a 

 Weasel he himself hunts and kills Rabbits; as a Fox he is hunted by a 

 Leicestershire pack ; as a Wild Goose he migrates to the vSiberian tundras ; 

 narrowly escapes slaughter in a samoyed " goose- drive," and being con- 

 veniently changed into a Short-eared Owl, survives to see foxes and bears 

 feed on mammoth flesh and to return to England once again. 



If space permitted we should like to quote extensively ; perhaps the 

 following from the story of Tommy's experience as a young Weasel will 

 give as true an impression of the tone and spirit of the book as would 

 lengthy extracts : — 



" The old weasel came up only just in time to prevent him running 

 headlong into one of old Bates' steel traps. , . Later in the run he 

 actually did put his head into a wire noose, and it was not until the others 

 had bitten through the string to which it was fastened, and cleverly 

 loosened the slip-knot, that he could even squeak. Old Footy [the 

 nurse] next morning could not think how he had chafed his neck, 

 which was quite red. She had looked at the collar of his shirt, she told 

 his mother, and had found nothing wrong with it. 



" . . Tommy had never enjoyed his morning bread and milk so 

 much as he enjoyed the long drink he had when at last he sprang onto 

 the neck of a young rabbit, which gave one shriek and lay dead on the 

 grass before it had time even to feel frightened. 



" He felt a little queer next day when he thought what it was he must 

 have been drinking. He had always afterwards a sneaking fondness for 

 weasels; but none the less when he grew up, and would not allow an 

 owl or a kestrel to be touched, he told his keeper there was not to be 

 oi^e weasel left about the place." 



In such manner is nature study blended with imagination and humour 

 throughout the book. All parents should get it for their children and 

 rejoice in it themselves. 



G. H. C. 



