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NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



The Badminton Library. Big-game Shooting. By various con- 

 tributors, edited by C. Phillipps-Wolley. With numerous 

 Illustrations by J. Wolf, C. Whymper and others. 2 vols. 

 8vo. London : Longmans, Green & Co. 1894. 



Viewed as a series of narratives by individual sportsmen in 

 different parts of the world, recounting merely their own experi- 

 ence, these volumes are pleasant reading enough ; but there is 

 no disguising the fact that they are not well edited. Apart from 

 the fact that the Editor's own experience as a big-game hunter 

 has been limited, even on the continent, with which he professes 

 to be most familiar (N. America), he seems to have made no 

 attempt to harmonise the work of his contributors, to reconcile 

 conflicting statements, to delete repetitions, or to supply infor- 

 mation on points which they have overlooked. This is to be 

 regretted, for the subject is a splendid one, and if properly 

 handled, would have resulted in the production of the best of all 

 the volumes on sport in this now celebrated series. And it is 

 the greater pity because with contributors of such wide experience 

 as the late Sir Samuel Baker, F. C. Selous, F. J. Jackson, W. A. 

 Baillie Grohman, Abel Chapman, Heber Percy, St. George 

 Littledale, and others whose names are mentioned, a supply of 

 the best material was, so to say, guaranteed ; all that was 

 needed was to mould it into proper shape. It is an ungracious 

 task, however, to point out shortcomings, and we prefer to 

 confine our remarks to an indication of the varied contents of 

 the two volumes in the order in which they are presented to the 

 reader. 



The first volume, which deals with Africa and North and 

 South America, opens appropriately with a chapter on African 

 hunting as it was fifty years ago, written by the late W. C» 

 Oswell, whose name with big-game hunters is a household word, 

 and most fortunate was it for posterity that before his death 

 (which occurred only in May of last year) he was prevailed upon 

 to write these experiences. A sympathetic memoir of him by 

 Sir Samuel Baker (who was so soon to follow him) paves the way 



