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Sierra Club Bulletin 



hunting on the Kapiti Plains forms the subject of several spirited chap- 

 ters. Many strange animals were shot; the sable, the fringe-eared 

 oryx, the lesser and greater kudu. The taking of the latter was a re- 

 markable and noteworthy achievement. A fine photograph was ob- 

 tained of a living bushbuck. Very interesting are the descriptions 

 of the natives, their costumes, adornments, etc. Mr. White has a happy 

 faculty of giving clear and vivid snapshots of things and people. No 

 incident that can add a touch of color to his picture is forgotten. The 

 book will undoubtedly be as popular as the many other widely read 

 out-door books already to Mr. White's credit. M. R. P. 



"Winter Sports During the last decade Switzerland has made the 

 IN Switzerland "* discovery that the tourist crop may be harvested 

 twice a year. Scores of villages that formerly 

 slept through the long winter now are awakened into activity and 

 prosperity with the coming of the snow. New hotels are erected every 

 year; railroads are extended, and the construction of artificial rinks 

 for curling, ice-hockey and skating, and of courses for toboggans and 

 bobsleighs has become a science. Mr. Benson's splendid book, "Winter 

 Sports in Switzerland," gives a stirring picture of the present winter 

 life, and touches but lightly on the history of its development. We hear, 

 incidentally, however, how John Addington Symonds constructed the 

 first rink by the energetic manipulation of a pump handle, and how 

 only six or seven years ago the first skating rink at Villars consisted 

 of one flooded lawn-tennis court which boasted an average patronage 

 of three skaters. To-day the rinks at Villars cover acres of ground, 

 where each day hundreds of skaters enjoy this fascinating sport. 



It is seldom that a book which contains so much detailed information 

 of a technical nature is written with such literary skill. Mr. Benson 

 is not only master of an easy and brisk, yet finished style, but most suc- 

 cessfully reflects the holiday spirit. Any one who has ever ventured upon 

 skis will greatly enjoy the chapters on this most entrancing sport, and 

 remember how his own skis were "lovingly entwined together" on the 

 occasion of his first fall. The chapter oh winter resorts gives many 

 valuable hints concerning the localities whose climatic conditions render 

 them most suitable for the different sports. Skating, curling, toboggan- 

 ing and other sports are described in detail, and advice given concern- 

 ing suitable clothing,, boots, etc. 



The make-up of the book is uncommonly attractive. The series of 

 lake photographs showing the growth of "ice flowers" is specially worthy 

 of praise. The photographs and color prints of the various sports in- 

 spire one with an immediate and overwhelming desire to go and do 

 likewise. M. R. P. 



* Winter Sports in Switzerland. By E. F. Benson. Dodd, Mead & Co., New 

 York. With 12 full-page illustrations in color by C. Fleming Williams, and 47 

 reproductions from photographs by Mrs. Aubrey Le Blond. 197 pages. Price, 

 $4.00 net. Postage, 25 cents extra. 



