THE OSPREY. 



95 



boys Call a daisy — dainty, even exquisite, fault- 

 less in typofrraphical full-dress. It uiij^iit have 

 been called Bird-Love instead of Bird-Lore, or 

 Agapomene; for it reminds us of a statement 

 made in the Century Dictionary, that "the 

 cherubs are disting"uished by their kn(i\vledi,''e 

 from the .seraphs, whose distinctive quality is 

 love," If the numerous handsome advertise- 

 ments displayed in this first number be real 

 live ones, the success of the mag'azine is assured. 

 The illu.straticins are the finest we have .seen in 

 any ornithi>li>yical maf,''azine: they approach the 

 standard lately .-,et up by the Kearton brothers, 

 and we are left in no doubt of Mr. Chapman's 

 practicalh' inexhaustible resources for produc- 

 ing- brilliant photographic plates. Regarding 

 the other contents of the magazine, we are able 

 to control our enthusiasm. The editor seems to 

 be toying^ with ornithology in amateurish 

 fashion, and will have to guard ag-ainst dillet- 

 tanteism, if he would not degenerate into mere 

 prettiness or virtuosity. In the bird world, as 

 elsewhere. Miss Nancy is to be shunned more 

 .sedulously than Mrs. Grundy is to be feared. 

 At least, it seems so to us; though doubtless Mr. 

 Chapman under.stands better than we do the 

 class of customers to whom he caters, and is 

 therefore the better judge of what they want. 



The frontispiece is a portrait of the amiable 

 gentleman who warbles pleasantly about War- 

 blers in the leading article. Mr. Thoreau has 

 been dead too long to be available now as a live 

 fetish, and Mr. Chapman is wise in utilizing Mr. 

 Burroughs for that purpose in the new cult of the 

 kodak; the hermit of Slabsides is said to have 

 been worth a sale of 10,00(1 copies of Mrs. Double- 

 day's book. Mr. Torrey's turn should come 

 next, and then Mr. Chapman should not forget 

 the claims of Dr. C. C. Ablxitt. The body of 

 the number is a good sound article on the use of 

 the camera as an aid in the studv of birds, by 

 Dr. Thomas S. Roberts, fully iflustrated with 

 a series of half-toned Chickadees. Even prettier 

 pictures than these are the ones by Mr. H. 

 W. Menke, showing Hocks of Horned Larks, 

 Snowtlakes, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in 

 wintry scenes. A children's department is ap- 

 propriately opened by Miss F. A. Merriam. with 

 text and plate alike suitable for the little ones. 

 Notes from Field and Study are interesting and 

 varied. Book News and Reviews are anony- 

 mous. There is much to be said for and against 

 this. Some publications of the hig-hest char- 

 acter in literature, science and art, prefer thus 

 to sink the personality of the reviewer in the in- 

 dividuality of the periodical: others take the 

 oppo;>ite view. Our own preference is for signed 

 reviews, especially in a journal of any preten- 

 sions to scientific character. Possibly the very 

 best course is a middle one, resulting in such a 

 compromise as that, for example, made in The 

 Auk and adopted in The Ospkev, where signa- 

 ture by initials leaves a review theoretically 

 anonj-mous, but actually of known or easily 

 ascertained authorship. Mr. Chapman's experi- 

 ence as a reviewer and critic may make this 

 department of his magfazine a strong one, if he 

 will vow from the start never to be mealy- 

 mouthed about killing a book that oug-ht to be 

 killed, like that silly one by Mr. DeKay called 

 "Bird (iods," which is very bad ornitholog-y, 

 and still worse philology and mythology. If 



Mr. Chapman or hi.- anonymous reviewer had 

 understood how to handle this book, it would 

 not have been only damned with faint prai.se — 

 it would have been skinned alive, and its hide 

 hung- on the fence to dry. Lastly, Mrs, M. O, 

 Wright upholds Bird-Lore as the organ of the 

 Audubon Societies, and plays upon this instru- 

 ment in her usual vivacious manner, giving- a 

 directory of the various State organizations for 

 the protection of birds, and official reports from 

 .some of them. The magazine is .so largel v devot- 

 ed to aesthetic, .sentimental, and humanitarian 

 aspects of ornithology that she cannot be too 

 careful in consulting- the fancies and cultivating 

 the good g-races of these societies, from which 

 probably the greater part of the cash receipts is 

 hoped to derived, 



Bird-Lore sets forth bravelv and hand.somely 

 on its artistic and benevolent mission, likewise 

 with our heartfelt compassion. We bid it God- 

 speed, and shower rice upon the happy wedding 

 of modest ornithology with brilliant tvpi>g-raphv. 

 The magazine is already a thing- of beauty- 

 may it become a joy forever! If it continues to 

 l)rosper, as we have no doubt will be its happy 

 lot. Mr. Chapman will win with the camera and 

 opera-g-lass a halo of radiant amateurishness 

 which mav tit him as well as that laurel wreath 

 of the professional ornithologist alreadv earned 

 with the shot-gun, .scalpel, and egg-drill,- E. C, 



BlKD WOHI.D. — A Bird Book for Children. By 

 J. H. Stickney, a.ssisted by Ralph Hoffman. Bo.s- 

 ton; Ginn & Co., 1898; p"p. x, 214. Cloth. 



So long as children have to go to school thev 

 must have readers. What can be better thaii 

 such books as will teach them to see and .study 

 the nature that is all about them, full of interest 

 and entertainment for all who will try to under- 

 stand yet so few tryl We endorse all efforts to 

 teach children love and friendship for birds and 

 all animal life. An evidence of growing- inter- 

 est in these beautiful objects is apparent in the 

 increasing number of bird books — and the more 

 the better, for there is sure to be found some 

 good in them all. We hope each one will help 

 to awaken young minds, inspire them with 

 kindly feelings, and thus make many new 

 friends for the birds. The more friends the 

 more protection: and the more protection the 

 more birds to delight us. If each book brings 

 some new recruits to our ranks, let us hail each 

 book, and hope that even though it should be a 

 poor one, it will lead to the search for a better 

 one. Most people know a good thing when 

 they see it. 



In Bird World we have a pretty carefully g-ot- 

 ten up little book, designed as a'reader for inter- 

 mediate grades. We should hardly call it that, 

 as the kind of ornitholog-y it teaches is best fit- 

 ted for minds too young to use the book profi- 

 tably. It belongs to the primary grades of a 

 words-in-one-syllable reader. Yet it has manv 

 interesting- little anecdotes of birds and their 

 doings, which will attract any child -ivho is able 

 to read them. The chapters 'lead us hither and 

 j'on on the borders of bird land, in verj- desultory 

 fashion. Now we are introduced to the Yellow- 

 throated Vireo at home, now an effort is made 

 to interpret the unrivaled song of the Brown 

 Thrasher: here is a chapter on feathers, there 

 one on beaks, toes or what not. The book is 



