528 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



polished writing. No deep anatomical or ecological discoveries will be found in 

 this book, but there is much of the grace of the woodlands, the scent of the 

 flowers, and the freshness of outdoor wild life as seen and recorded by a lover of 

 nature. Some of the illustrations are good, but one or two are rather crude and 

 do not appear quite in harmony with the book. The headings are variable but 

 nowhere aggressive, and some of them are quite charming pieces of work. 



C. H. O'D. 



A. The Life Story of an Otter. By J. C. Tregarthen, F.Z.S. [Pp. xiii + 



188, with 8 illustrations.] (London : John Murray, 191 5. Price 2s. (yd. net.) 



B. The Story of a Hare. By J. C. Tregarthen, F.Z.S. [Pp. xi + 199, with 



8 illustrations.] (London : John Murray, 191 5. Price is. (yd. net.) 



Mr. Tregarthen has undoubtedly made a place for himself among the writers 

 on wild life in this country, by the publication of the two volumes under review. 

 The reception accorded them in their first form some years ago was evidently 

 such as to encourage the publisher to reprint them at a lower price, and we 

 can heartily commend this step. Their reprinting should introduce them to 

 a wider circle of readers and give them an opportunity of endorsing the good 

 opinions that have already been won by the volumes. As a fitting background 

 for the well-written stories of the lives of the two animals we have a charming 

 account of the enticing west-country scenery amid which the dramas are played ; 

 and a drama the life of a much-hunted animal must always be. There are in 

 it the periods of youthful gambols and play, so skilfully portrayed by the author, 

 but after all, what are they but the preparations for the lifelong struggle to 

 escape being killed which has a bloody termination in the case of the otter 

 and as tragic an end in the hare when, bereft of its cunning, its skill and 

 strength fail ? 



In the preface of one of them the author submits that certain attempts to 

 interpret the animal's actions and motives are " for the most part of a safe 

 character,'' and with this we are in entire agreement. Indeed in this respect 

 both accounts seem to have avoided pitfalls into which writers of animal 

 biographies are prone to fall by endowing their characters with an undue amount 

 of moral and introspective activity. To one who has not missed opportunities of 

 making the acquaintance of these animals under natural conditions as well as in 

 the hunting field there is practically nothing in either volume that runs counter to 

 experience, and herein lies a great part of the charm of the works. Both could 

 very probably be true life stories, although one is forced to recognise and admire 

 the patience of the author in getting together his facts, or rather his experience, 

 and the skill with which he has woven them together. 



A. The title of this book is quite indicative of its contents, for it treats of the 

 whole life of the otter from its birth till its " kill." The various phases of its life 

 are all treated in turn, including the extraordinary habit it exhibits at certain times 

 of slaying, as far as can be seen, simply for the mere love of killing and not 

 in defence or for food. 



B. This volume treats in the same way of the life of the hare, and though of 

 course there is not the same series of exciting hunts for food, it none the less 

 retains the interest of the reader to the end. 



Together they form a pair of books that should find a place in the library of 

 all lovers of the countryside, giving as they do an interesting and charming 

 picture of the everyday lives of these often-mentioned but little-known wildlings. 



C. H. O'D. 



