Supplement to ''Nature" Octobei' lo, 1907 



is with us. Few introduced species liave succeeded 

 in firmly establishing themselves, and not all of them 

 have been a success in other ways. The starling 

 has already taken to turning out of their nesting 

 holes certain useful native species, and the author says 

 " certainly a part of the cost of upkeep in every well- 

 settled district will need to be expended on the annual 

 subjection of sparrows and starlings." Alto- 

 gether the acclimatisation of birds in Australia 

 does not seem to have been attended with very 

 encouraging results. The book is, of course, mainly 

 intended for use in the colonv. It is nicelv illustrated. 



' O. V. A. 



.4A' UNFREQUENTED ITALIAN COAST. 

 The Shores of the Adriatic; the Italian Side. By 

 F. Hamilton Jackson. Pp. xiv -1-358; illustrated. 

 (London : John Murray, 1906.) Price 21s. net. 



OF the hundreds of English-speaking tourists who 

 annually visit Italy, the great majority consider 

 that they have " done " the Adriatic when they have 

 seen Venice, while a few are attracted a little further 

 afield by the curio shops of Ravenna or Rimini or 

 the postage stamps of San Marino. In exploring the 

 coast-line from Brindisi to Udine by gradual stages, 

 omitting Venice, Mr. Hamilton Jackson has opened 

 up a region practically unknown to English and 

 Americans. There is a good deal of French, Italian, 

 and German literature regarding this part of Italy of 

 which a fairly long list is given in the preface, but 

 English writings are few in number, and this cir- 

 cumstance alone would afford sufficient justification 

 for the publication of the present book, if indeed 

 any justification should be needed. 



The district is one of great historical interest. It 

 has been occupied by Greece and Rome, raided bv 

 Saracens and Turks, invaded by Gauls, and the 

 southern part conquered by the Normans, of v/hose 

 methods of strategy an interesting narrative forms 

 part of the first chapter. It comprises the pro- 

 vince of ■ .\pulia, the .\bruzzi, the Marche, Emilia 

 (Romagna), and Venetia. Geographically, the most 

 important feature along the coast-line is the Monte 

 Gargano, with its shrine of Monte Sant'Angelo, 

 founded by Constantine. From its prominent posi- 

 tion it was for a long time a Saracenic stronghold, 

 and still retains its name of !\Ionte Saraceno. 



It is with the architectural beauties, in particular 

 the churches, that this book mainly deals, and the 

 illustrations are an important feature. In these days 

 of " process blocks " line drawings come as a 

 pleasant change and relief from the monotonous 

 " half-tone " illustrations. Mr. Jackson has made 

 use of both forms of illustration. A number of 

 photographs, mostly taken by Mr. J. Cooper Ash ton, 

 are reproduced in the form of plates, while the illus- 

 trations in the text show the advantages of pen and 

 ink sketches for bringing architectural details into 

 due prominence. The dual mode of illustration has 

 undoubtedly served another useful purpose. In the 

 narrow streets of an Italian town there are many 

 NO. 1980, VOL. 76] 



buildings which cannot possibly be got into the field 

 of view of a camera fitted with even the widest angle 

 lens, and we may be fairly sure that if the author 

 had trusted to photography alone many of the 

 choicest and most picturesque bits would never have 

 figured in this book. Of the diflSculties of taking 

 photographs when boys will persist in standing in 

 front of the camera we have an example on p. 165, 

 while the arrival at Brindisi described on p. 33 gives 

 a familiar instance of the way the English traveller 

 is imposed on in Italy when he keeps to the beaten 

 Hack. On the other hand, the author speaks warmly 

 of the courtesy shown him by officials and others in 

 regions where English tourists are practically un- 

 known. As a set-off against this advantage, Mr. 

 Jackson had to put up with somewhat rough and 

 primitive accommodation in places, and his photo- 

 graph of an interior under the title " Stable and 

 house in one, Foggia," gives some insight into the 

 insanitary conditions prevailing in many of these 

 unenlightened little Italian towns. 



Of the buildings of interest, the following rough 

 summary may give some general idea : — At Bari, 

 cathedral, church of San Nicola, with treasury. King 

 Roger's Castle; at Bitonto, church of San Valentino; 

 at Terlizzi, eleventh century church; at Giovenozzo 

 Molfetto, Trani, Troja, Lucera, cathedrals; at Bar- 

 letta, church of Santa Maria Maggiore; on Monte 

 Sant'Angelo, the grotto church, with fine bronze 

 doors dating from 1006; San Clemente in Casauria, 

 church; Ascoli Piccno, Roman bridge and prison, 

 churches of SS. Vincenzo and Anastasia, San 

 Giacomo, San Francesco; at Ancona, arch of Trajan, 

 cathedral of San Ciriaco, with beautiful panels, 

 church of Santa Maria della Piazza; at Rimini, 

 bridge of Augustus, church of San Francesco, castle 

 of Sigismond Malatesta ; at Ravenna, mausoleum of 

 King Theodoric, cathedral, tomb of Galla Placida, 

 chur<;h of San Vitale ; at Pomposa. abbey church of 

 Santa Maria, with great campanile ; Chioggia, a 

 picturesque town on two canals easily reached from 

 Venice; at Treviso, cathedral; at Udine, cathedral 

 and excursi_ons to Cividale, with its picturesque 

 bridge, castle, churches of San Martino and Santa 

 Maria in Valle. It would be impossible to quote the 

 author's descriptions of these and other objects of 

 interest, but the above list will afford some idea of 

 what there is to be seen by anyone who will follow 

 in Mr. Jackson's footsteps, while the stay-at-home 

 reader will certainly, as the author claims, by reading 

 the descriptions and examining the figures, obtain 

 an insight into Italian art which will be quite new 

 to him. 



A number of plans of churches and cathedrals are 

 inserted in the text, in addition to the other figures. 

 There is, however, one point which is too often over- 

 looked by writers of books of travel. ■ A map, how- 

 ever rough and sketchy, of the district traversed 

 greatly adds to the interest. It is true that most 

 people have a map of Italy in their possession, and it 

 must further be admitted that the towns follow each 

 other in fairly regular order along the coast, so that 



