BOOK NOTICES. 



Any Tolnme noticed will be sent prepaid upon re- 

 ceipt of the price affixed, by A. W. Mumford, 378 

 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. 



A Hermit's Wild Friends. By Mason A. 

 Walton. Dana Estes & Company, Boston. 

 1903. i2mo, pp. 304-f xii. Illustrated. Cloth. 

 Price $1.50. 



A Hermit's Wild Friends is a record of 

 eighteen years in the woods. It is a fascinat- 

 ing volume of srtiimal and woodcraft lore, by 

 the well-known hermit of Bond's Hill, Glouces- 

 ter, Mass., which gives agraphic account of 

 nearly twenty years of solitary life in the 

 woods. Mr. Walton's cabin near the Old 

 Salem Road is as quaint and interesting as 

 Thoreau's hut at Walden, and has been the 

 object of pilgrimages for some of the most 

 eminent naturalists of America. The author 

 has contributed for years to "Forest and 

 Stream" under the pseudonym of "Hermiit," 

 and has also written for the "Youth's Com- 

 panion" and other periodicals. "A Hermit's 

 Wild Friends" is a very notable addition to 

 recent out-of-door books. It is illustrated in 

 part by the author's photographs of wild 

 creatures which have come under his own ob- 

 servation, and in part by drawings from the 

 pen of Louis Agassiz Fuertes and other emi- 

 nent artists. 



Nature .\xd the Camera. By A. RadclyflFe 

 Dugmore. Doubleday, Page & Co., New 

 York, 1902. i2mo, pp. 126, cloth. Price, 

 $i.35- 



In the study of Nature the text-book and 

 laboratory research are now largely supple- 

 mented by field work. The animal and the 

 plant are studied at close range, and in their 

 natural habitat. There is no better way of 

 permanently recording one's observations than 

 by the use of the camera. Such records are 

 truthful, and, as a rule, much more useful 

 than those made with a pencil only. Attention 

 is also directed to many points that would 

 otherwise pass unnoticed. Realizing the value 

 of the camera in nature study, many persons 

 have asked Mr. Dugmore for information re- 

 garding the art of Nature photography. This 

 has led him to prepare this fascinating little 

 book, in which he has set down a full and 

 detailed riccount of his methods. There could 

 be no better guide to this art, for Mr. Dug- 

 more is a recognized authority on the use of 

 the camera in Nature. "From the choice of 

 a camera to questions of lighting and to the 

 pr'jblem of 'snapping' shy birds and animals 

 in their native haunts — every step is explained 

 so simply as to be easily comprehended, even 

 by the beginner." The reading of this book 

 and a study of the seventy-five beautiful half- 

 tones with which it is illustrated, will deepen 

 one's love and respect for animate Nature. 

 We heartily recommend "Nature and the Cam- 

 era" to our readers. 



The Moth Book. By W. J. Holland. Double- 

 day, Page & Co., New York, 1903. Royal 

 octavo, pp. 480-fxxiv, illustrated, cloth. 

 Price, $4.00. 



This valuable work is beautifully illustrated 

 with forty-eight full page plates, containing 

 1,500 figures of moths in their natural colors 

 In addition to the colored figures there are 

 also 300 text cuts. This work is by far the 

 rnost complete and generous contribution to 

 the subject which has as yet appeared in the 

 English language. The moths of North Amer- 

 ica are remarkably beautiful, and far exceed 

 m interest, from the standpoint of both form 

 and color, the butterflies, so that this work 

 will prove itself eminently attractive, not 

 merely to those who are interested in 

 entomology, but to all those who love the 

 beautiful in Nature. Such subjects as the 

 methods of collecting specimens, the history of 

 silk-culture and the economic importance of 

 insect-life are fully treated. This book should 

 be in the library of every naturalist and will 

 prove of great value to all who find the study 

 of Nature a pleasant recreation. 



Nature Study. By David Worth Dennis. 

 O. W. Ford & Co., Marion, Ind., 1903. 

 i2mo, pp. 170, cloth. Price, $1.00. 



This handy little book consists of 100 les- 

 sons about plants It has been the aim of the 

 author in these pages to put the student in 

 possession of guiding principles— to give him 

 something that will help him interpret what he 

 sees. Nearly all the lessons consider, in one 

 forrn or another, the plant in question as a 

 species that has won in the struggle for ex- 

 istence and they direct attention to the adapta- 

 tions that have enabled it to win. The volume 

 is well illustrated and will be helpful to Na- 

 ture students. 



One of the most interesting of the magazine 

 publications is Birds and Nature. Although 

 in appearance not bulky, a fund of informa- 

 tion may be found within its covers. There 

 are eight color plates, each in itself a work of 

 art. The portrayal of the subjects is accurate 

 and the coloring exquisite. 



There is a short sketch upon each of the 

 subjects illustrated. In each case the sketch 

 is very much to the point and is particularly 

 interesting as covering the field without the 

 use of endless, confusing scientific terms. 

 There are 18 articles and poems, each of com- 

 mendable length, and all consistent with the 

 title and object of the magazine. 



It is not only a delight for the lovers of 

 nature, but its contents are of the kind which 

 would compel even the most casual reader to 

 worship nature's grandness. An article on 

 "The Diamond " is alone worth the price of 

 the magazine. — Boston Globe. 



