Notices of New Books. 7689 



Notices of New Books. 



1. Walks, Talks, Travels and Exploits of Two Schoolboys ; a Book 

 for Boys. By the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, Incumbent of Dauby. 



434 pp. Demy 12mo. Routledge, Warne and Routledge. 1859. 



2. Play-hours and Half-holidays, or Further Experiences ofTwr) 

 Schoolboys. By the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, Incumbent of Dauby. 

 446 pp., Demy l2mo. Routledge, Warne and Routledge. 1860. 



3. Sketches in Natural History, with an Essay on Reason and 

 Instinct. By the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, Incumbent of Danby. 

 338 pp., Demy 12mo. Routledge, Warne and Routledge. 1861. 



We can conceive nothing more likely than these volumes to instil 

 a love of Natural History into the minds of those for whom Mr. 

 Atkinson has written. Of the 'Sketches' we need say nothing; Mr. 

 Atkinson himself says of them, " The contents of the present volume 

 first saw the light in the form of occasional contributions to the pages 

 of the ' Zoologist;'" they are therefore already familiar to our readers. 

 Of the ' Walks and Talks,' ' Play-hours and Half-holidays ' we could 

 say much. They abound with correct information on the habits of 

 animals, imparted in a cheerful and readable manner. Many other 

 writers on Natural History have achieved great successes in the way 



of popularity (such are B , W , C , P , and a host of 



others), but they invariably convey to the mind of the educated reader 

 the idea — fallacious of course — that they know nothing of the subject 

 on which they write so agreeably. With Mr. Atkinson it is exactly 

 the reverse ; the naturalist accompanies him page by page, line by 

 line, and turning his thoughts inward into the treasure-house of his 

 own experience, verifies fact after fact, and knows that the statements 

 are true, knows the life-history of each creature is faithfully told, knows 

 that the living being sat for the portrait Mr. Atkinson has drawn. This 

 is as it should be. Yet there is a peculiarity in Mr. Atkinson's style 

 which were more honoured in the breach than the observance. The very 

 title of " Walks and Talks " leads you at once to anticipate conversa- . 

 tions between schoolboys, and I well know that their phraseology is not 

 very studied or very elegant when boating or birdsnesting or cricketing 

 is the theme ; nay, more than this, I acknowledge that such expressions 

 as those which follow are very likely to be heard. " Mind your eye," 

 "I'm blest if I don't," " That chap means mischief," " Big enough and 

 VOL. XIX. 3 E 



