Vol.Xin Recent Literature. 28 1 



1895 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Birdcraft.'— Readers of Mrs. Wright's 'Friendship of Nature' will 

 heartily welcome her as a contributor to ornithological literature. We 

 have been so surfeited with local lists and stereotyped annotations, that 

 the originality with which she treats her subject is refreshing. Untrani- 

 meled by traditions, and with a style haying no taint of clinging techni- 

 calities, "she has modelled her volume after her own idea, with results no 

 one can fail to applaud. Introductory chapters on 'The Spring Song,' 

 'The Building of the Nest,' and 'The Birds of Autumn and Winter,' 

 picture in a charming manner the principal events of the bird year. 

 Insensible indeed must he be who can read these chapters without being 

 affected by the enthusiasm which pervades them. With the touch of a 

 genuine bird-lover, a touch which reminds us of Michelet, she describes 

 the return of the feathered host from its winter quarters, the home- 

 coming of the familiar garden dwellers, their nest building, the appear- 

 ance of the young, and finally their retreat with their parents as the season 

 wanes. How earnestly we w^ish these chapters could be placed in the 

 hands of every boy for whom ' ornithology ' means a collection of empty 

 eo-g-shells! What a new point of view they would give him! Birds are 

 not enemies to be robbed, persecuted, or killed, but friends whose 

 acquaintance may prove an endless source of pleasure. 



After some suggestions on 'How to Name the Birds,' which are prac- 

 tical and to the point, we have a' Synopsis of Bird Families,' and on page 

 57 reach the 'Bird Biographies.' The succeeding 223 pages are devoted 

 to the biographical treatment of 200 species of birds of the Northeastern 

 States. 



The plan adopted is admirable for its clearness, separate paragraphs 

 being devoted to 'Length,' 'Male and Female' (or either alone), 'Song,' 

 'Season,' 'Breeds' (= breeding range) 'Nest,' 'Eggs and Range.' This 

 is followed by a sketch of the bird's characteristic haunts and habits, 

 and here Mrs. Wright is at her best. Combining rare literary skill 

 with a keen appreciation of a bird's distinctive traits, she has given us 

 pen pictures of her feathered favorites which will stand for all time. 



It would indeed be a graceless task to criticise in detail so pleasing a 

 volume. Mrs. Wright's observations have been largely confined to her 

 garden, and that wider experience would in some cases cause her to alter 



'Birdcraft | a Field Book of two hundred Song | Game, and Water Birds | 

 By I Mabel Osgood Wright | Author of "The Friendship of Nature" | With 

 Full-page plates containing 128 Birds in their natural colors, and other Illustra- 

 tions I New York | Macmillan and Co. | and London | 1S95 | All rights 

 reserved. Svo. pp. .wi + 317, Coll'd pll. x, Uncoll'd v. Cloth, S3.00, net. 



36 



