i50 The Ottawa Naturalist. [September 



BOOK NOTICE. 



"The Butterfly Book" : A Popular Guide to a Knowledge 

 of the Butterflies of North America ; by W. J. Holland^ 

 Ph. D., D. D., etc., New York, (also issued by \Vm. Briggs, 

 Toronto), 1898. Price $3. 



There are, I believe, few works which have appeared of late 

 years in America which are destined to mark such an epoch in 

 the development of American boys and girls as Dr. Holland's- 

 beautiful Butterfly Book. A most noticeable difference between 

 the youths of Europe and America is that in the old world it is 

 very exceptional to find any young man or woman who has not 

 som.e hobby or special study to which they devote a large 

 proportion of their spare time during the )ears they are at 

 school. This extra occupation of the mind acts as a relaxation 

 from the regular prescribed studies and has a very beneficial 

 effect upon the development of students both mentally and 

 physically. Some branch of natural histor}- or athletic sports 

 are the two directions particularly to which this energy is 

 generally turned. P'ortunately for boys and girls in Britain, 

 France and Germany there were always well-illustrated, cheap 

 and comprehensive works available by means of which they 

 could identify, and learn the habits of, the insects, birds, plants 

 and animals they wished to study. In America until quite 

 recently there were with the exception of books on plants none 

 of these elementary but comprehensive works and as a conse- 

 quence natural history studies have been almost confined to the 

 plant world. Recently Dr. A. S. Packard and Dr S. H. 

 Scudder have published delightful books on insects which have 

 been eagerly read by our bo}'s and girls ; but Dr. Holland's 

 Butterfly Book surpasses easily anything which has preceded it 

 in the way of a help for those who knowing little of natural 

 history have yet had their attention caught and wish to know 

 about the bright coloured butterflies which are always so 

 attractive to everyone for their beauty of form and colour as 

 well as for their graceful movements. The delight to be 

 derived from a study of their habits while breeding them from 

 the egg to maturity is at everybody's disposal but has Jieea.. 

 enjoyed by very few. 



