BOOK NOTICED. 



5*5 



BOOK NOTICES. 



A REMARKABLE BIRD-BOOK. 



Even to those who are familiar with the 

 literature of our native birds, " Bird Neigh- 

 bors," by Neltje Blanchan, must come as 

 a genuine surprise. How it is possible to 

 produce so fine a book and sell it for $2 is to 

 me a mystery, despite the fact that I know 

 a thing or two about book-making. 



There are 50 large colored plates (6x8 

 inches), 234 pages of text, beautifully 

 printed on heavy paper, and a binding both 

 pleasing and substantial; all sold at a price 

 which would seem barely sufficient to pay 

 for the printing of the plates alone. 



The plain duty of a book reviewer is to 

 .give the reader an idea of the book under 

 treatment, and to be just, both to the au- 

 thor and the publisher. The most valuable 

 review is that which brings the reader near- 

 est to the thing reviewed; neither gushing 

 unduly, nor setting down aught in malice. 

 There are books which I am not willing to 

 waste time and space in noticing; but 

 " Bird Neighbors " is not one of them. 



This book is a bold effort to place before 

 the public, at a merely nominal price, a 

 "book which will bring the general reader in 

 ■close touch with 150 species of our smaller 

 birds. All the well-known game birds, the 

 water birds, the herons and the birds of 

 prey have been omitted, and the work is 

 •devoted wholly to the smaller species that, 

 in size, range from the humming-bird to 

 the crow. In order that even the dullest 

 person may get these 150 species well with- 

 in his mental grasp, they are classified 5 

 times, in 5 different ways, as follows: (1) 

 the regular scientific classification; (2) by 

 the places they inhabit; (3) by the seasons 

 -when they are seen; (4) by size, and (5) ac- 

 cording to their colors. It is their treat- 

 ment under the last arrangement which 

 •constitutes the body of the work; the others 

 being merely lists. 



In treating each of the species chosen, 

 the author gives its scientific name and the 

 name of its family; all its English names, 

 its length, description of male and female, 

 geographical range and migrations. Fol- 

 lowing this is about a page of breezy, well- 

 written text, which really introduces the 

 bird to the reader, and sizes up its moral 

 character and social standing in a most re- 

 freshing way. In this the author has caught 

 and reflected the delightful literary spirit of 

 her " guide, philosopher and friend " — John 

 Burroughs. The proof of it is that after 

 having read the page, you feel that you 

 know the bird, personally. 



But the pictures! Unless I am mistaken 

 they will be, to the public, a pleasing sur- 

 prise. They have been produced in colors, 

 hy a new process, the basis of each plate be- 

 ing a large photograph — often life size — of 

 ~an actual bird. In many cases the nest and 



eggs arc shown. In most cases the back- 

 ground of each plate is a pleasing land- 

 scape, accurately representing the favorite 



haunts of the bird. 



Unless I am greatly mistaken, the ap- 

 pearance of this book will mark an era in 

 the making of zoological illustrations for 

 books. Although it cannot be said that 

 every plate is perfect, as to the color, 01 its 

 birds, it is only the best and most costly 

 lithographs that surpass them. Whatever 

 a few of them may lack of strict accuracy, 

 in color, is amply made up, to the reader, 

 by the photographic details of the form and 

 plumage, the value of which cannot pos- 

 sibly be denied. 



Another novel feature about this book is 

 that the publishers propose to send it, on 

 approval, to any reader of Recreation who 

 may send them his name and address, with 

 the privilege of returning at the publishers' 

 expense, if not found satisfactory. If after 

 "examination he decides to keep the book, 

 he can remit them the $2 instead. 



I cordially recommend this book as one 

 which will be of solid value and lasting 

 pleasure to its possessor. There is one book 

 now on the market, at 10 times the price of 

 " Bird Neighbors," which is of less intrin- 

 sic value. This latter book is a marvel of 

 value and cheapness combined, and I pre- 

 dict that no one to whom it may be sent, or 

 inspection, will either return it to the pub- 

 lishers, or find fault with its price. 



Bird Neighbors, an introductory acquaintance with 150 

 birds commonly found in the woods, fields, and gardens 

 about our homes. By Neltje Blanchan, with an intro- 

 duction by John Burroughs, and 50 plates of birds in 

 natural colors. New York. Doubleday & McCIure Co., 

 small quarto, pp. xii-234. Plates 50 in colors. $2.00. 



Stanley Waterloo's imagination runs in 

 unusual directions, and in " The Story of 

 Ab " he takes his readers back to the days 

 of the cave men. In this story he pictures 

 real men and women, too. These very 

 great grandfathers and grandmothers of 

 ours, with their long, flexible toes and their 

 prehistoric ability for climbing trees, their 

 fierce, primitive passions, and their begin- 

 nings o: evolution, seem wonderfully hu- 

 man at?.d interesting under the magic of 

 Mr. Waterloo's pen. You rub your eyes 

 and wonder if you are really living in the 

 19th century, or if Ab will presently swing 

 down from the branch of some huge tree 

 and stand before you. stone ax in hand. 



Being the story of a man. it is also the 

 story of a lover, and a slim brown maiden 

 lends ^ charm to the tale. 



Scientists will be interested in what Mr. 

 Waterl 10 has to say of the transition from 

 the Pa^olithic to the Neolithic age; and 

 all love s of the fields and the woods will 

 enjoy h s wonderful pictures of ancient 

 condition t. 



" The Story of Ab " is published by Way 

 & Williams, Chicago; price $1.50. 



