34^ The Field Naturalist's Quarterly November 



and so forth. The mere enumeration of these will serve to indicate the 

 interesting nature of this volume, and we trust that it will find a ready 

 welcome at the hands of the field naturalist public. In our opinion, it 

 is the best of the four already issued. 



Animal Life and the World of Nature. Vol. i. London : 

 Hutchinson & Co. Price ios. 6d. 

 This handsome volume is the first volume of Messrs. Hutchinson's 

 journal, Animal Life, and, with the 718 illustrations it contains, will 

 doubtless be a delight to a large number of young folks, to whom 

 it would be a welcome present. With such contributors as Lord 

 Avebury, Sir Harry Johnston, Sir Herbert Maxwell, R. Lydekker, W. 

 H. Hudson, W. Saville-Kent, and others, it goes without saying that 

 there is much good matter in the volume. There is a good deal, how- 

 ever, which can hardly be called natural history, but which is more 

 amusing than instructive. While many of the illustrations are excel- 

 lent, notably those by Mr. Reid of Wishaw, there are too many of what 

 look like caricatures of the natural animal, and, personally, we prefer 

 to see an elephant shown on its four legs than on its two hind ones. 

 The excellent photograph of the family group of slow-worms on 

 p. 339 is evidently one of those referred to by the Rev. Cornish 

 Watkins in this Journal (vol. i. p. 289). It is a pity, however, that Mr. 

 Watkins did not give the evidence for his suspicion that "old blind- 

 worms may, with justice, be suspected of cannibalistic tendencies." 

 The point is a new one to us, and of interest. With so much that is 

 good in the volume, both of letterpress and illustration, it is rather a 

 pity that the standard of both is not more uniform. But this, perhaps, 

 is more than can be expected in a journal which covers such a variety 

 of subjects and with such a number of contributors. 



Agriculture for Beginners. By Burkett, Stevens, and Hill. 

 London : (jinn & Co. Price 3s. 6d. 

 The authors of this little book believe that there is no line of separa- 

 tion between the science of agriculture and the practical art of agricul- 

 ture. They are assured by experience that agriculture is eminently a 

 teachable subject, and that its theory and practice can be taught at one 

 and the same time. The fundamental principles of farming can be taught 

 to a child just as the fundamental truths of arithmetic or grammar ; 

 and a youth should be trained for the farm just as he is trained for any 

 other occupation. This training must begin in the schools, because it 

 is there that tastes are acquired and aptitudes developed ; and, more- 

 over, most boys and girls reared on farms get no other training 

 than that of their schooldays. The book deals in a very readable 

 manner with Soil, The Plant, How to Raise a Fruit Tree, Diseases 

 of Plants, Insects, Farm Crops, Domestic Animals, Dairying, and 

 other farm matters. It is profusely illustrated, and an excellent 

 work for those engaged in teaching in rural schools, as well as for the 

 scholars. 



