200 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



scientific criticism. What ninety-nine people out of every hun- 

 dred will most admire are the beautiful compositions in which the 

 artist has a story to tell, and tells it famously, without any cata- 

 logue description. Of those reproduced by Mr. Palmer, it will 

 suffice to name: — "A Storm in the Alps" (p. 149), wherein 

 Ptarmigan, Chamois, and a Mountain Hare are seen seeking 

 shelter from a pitiless snow-storm; " Morning" (p. 171), which 

 shows a dead Lion, shot the previous day, discovered dead in the 

 morning light by Vultures; "Tame and Wild" (p. 171), de- 

 picting a fight between a Bison and a domestic Bull on the bor- 

 derland between prairie and cattle-ranche ; "Surprise" (p. 176), 

 where two Hares foraging over the snow encounter a wild-looking 

 scarecrow, which seems to be solemnly warning them with uplifted 

 arms, — it is a still frosty night, yet some snow is dropping from 

 those arms, — for crouched against the stake that supports the 

 figure is a Fox, quivering with hungry excitement; "A Night 

 Attack" (p. 210), depicting a raid by a Marten upon a Wood 

 Pigeon's nest in a pine tree; " Inquisitive Neighbours " (p. 221), 

 two Squirrels frolicking round the stem of a pine come suddenly 

 on a Ringdove sitting upon her eggs; she is indignant at the 

 intrusion, and rises from her eggs with half-opened wings, pre- 

 pared to buffet the nearest assailant. These are amongst the 

 most pleasing of the artist's works, and could they be engraved, 

 we feel confidant they would become as popular as those by Sir 

 Edwin Landseer and Sir John Millais. 



The reproductions by process as exemplified in the volume 

 before us seem to us tame and inadequate. We miss the 

 individuality of the painter, which is much better interpreted in 

 the vigorous engravings by Whymper, which form the illustrations 

 to the earlier work, 'The Life of Wild Animals.' 



Joseph Wolf is one of the very few painters whose works can 

 stand the test of criticism by artists, naturalists, and sportsmen, 

 and we should like nothing better than to see published, in a 

 good-sized quarto or folio volume, a representative collection of 

 his finished pictures, reproduced not by process or photogravure, 

 but in the very best style of engraving. 



For such a series we could name several pictures in private 

 collections which are not mentioned in Mr. Palmer's volume, and 

 a few others, also unnoticed, which have been exhibited in public. 

 Meantime everyone should read the artist's 'Life.' 



