Book Reviews. 



77 



lake land of the southern Andes is an addition, the value of which the 

 South Americans have hardly yet realized, to the scenic wealth of our 

 planet." M. R. P. 



"The Wilderness of Among the scores of out-door books published 

 THE North Pacific this season, Mr. Sheldon's record of hunting 

 Coast Islands." * experiences among the North Pacific Coast 



islands stands particularly high. Mr. Shel- 

 don is not only a hunter, but a naturalist of the type that is inter- 

 ested in the life and habits of wild animals as well as in their skin and 

 bones. A true lover of wild life, the instinct to kill is not his dominant 

 passion, nor the zeal of the collector his only enthusiasm. He does not 

 count the day, nor even the week, lost that does not yield him his coveted 

 prey. Trees, flowers, natives, topography — all receive their share of 

 description and comment. The result is a well-rounded, interesting 

 narrative, full of the charm of the wilderness. Its greatest importance, 

 perhaps, lies in the observations concerning the habits of the great bear 

 of Montague Island, which C. Hart Merriam considers a new species. 

 The well-estabhshed belief in the ferocity of these bears is not confirmed 

 by Mr. Sheldon's experience. He relates several occurrences tending to 

 show that oftentimes the supposed "charging" of the wounded, or even 

 the startled bear is rather the result of confusion. An amusing inci- 

 dent is related of an actual collision with a frightened bear hurrying 

 around a hilltop. "I was circling near the top, holding on by the 

 spruces with my right hand . . . when suddenly I saw, about eight feet 

 away, on the curving border of the spruces, ... a huge bear. I had 

 just time to push forward the butt of my rifle and yell, when the bear 

 collided with me, knocking me down. ... I had the sensation of one 

 about to be mauled and mutilated. . . . The bear was, I believe, more 

 surprised than I. . . . Swinging about, it ran back over the hill with- 

 out any attempt to bite or strike me." Very interesting, too, is the 

 chapter on the salmon rivers of Admiralty Islands, describing the run 

 of the salmon and the birds, and beasts that prey upon them. The book 

 is well illustrated with maps, photographs, and drawings by Carl 

 Rungius. M. R. P. 



"The Guardians No lowering of the standard set by Mr. Wil- 



OF the Columbia." f Hams' first book is manifest in the present 

 volume. It has three divisions, The River, The 

 Mountains, and The Forests. The first contains a brief sketch of the 

 geology of the region, an account of the principal Indian legends relating 



* The Wilderness of the North Paciiic Coast Islands. By Charles Sheldon. 

 Chas. Scribner's Sons, New York. 1912. 246 pages. Illustrated with maps, photo- 

 graphs, and drawings by Carl Rungius. Price, $2.00 net. 



t The Guardians of the Columbia. By John H. Williams. Published by John H. 

 Williams, Tacoma, Wash. 1912. 142 pages. Illustrated with maps and 210 views. 

 Price: Library Edition, $1.50 net; News-stand Edition, 75 cents net. 



