96 
NATURE NOTES. 
continual hum is heard ; owls utter their weird cries, shrill wails and the buzzing 
of clouds of insects meet the ear everywhere. 
To detail the information contained in the other picturesque and instructive 
passages of Mr. Rodway’s book would be unfair to him. lie is best able to tell 
his own story. To his book itself all who are interested in natural history, or 
who wish to spend many pleasant and instructive moments are referred. It only 
remains to passingly allude to the chapters on the “Struggle for Life,” on the 
“Interdependence of Plants and Animals;” on “Up the Trees,” and “On 
the Tropical Garden.” Many excellent things will be found in them, notably 
some remarks on the fertilisation of orchids ; on the peculiar uses of the shapes, 
colours and perfumes of flowers ; on the destruction, by hoards of insects, of forest 
giants ; and on a host of other topics. 
Richard Keegan. 
IN THE NORTH COUNTREE.- 
Two books have remained over long upon our shelf, and now comes a third 
to bear them company, or rather, to join them in this notice. 
The Rev. M. C. F. Morris, who succeeded his father at Nunburnholme Rec- 
tory, published not long before he went there a volume on Yorkshire Folk- Talk, 
and Canon Atkinson, the historian of the “ moorland parish ” which formed the 
subject of a notice in Nature Notes for January, 1892, has published Memorials 
of Whitby. Each of these books affords material for a long review, but the 
exigencies of space demand a short one, and as that is better than entire neglect, 
we proceed to give it. 
^Ir. Morris writes as an enthusiast for his local dialect. His book begins with 
a sentence “ He gav oot sikan a stevn,” uttered by “a Yorkshireman of the old 
school,” who “spoke the dialect in all its richness, raciness, and purity,” and the 
puzzled southron takes comfort when Mr. Morris says, “ Yorkshireman though I 
was, I did not remember to have heard [stevn] spoken before.” For the benefit 
of the ignorant (among whom we number ourselves), we may note that the word 
“means a loud shout, and may be connected with the modern Danish word, 
stavne, to summon or cite.” 
But Mr. Morris does not confine himself to folk-speech, although his account 
of this, interspersed as it is with amusing examples and excellent stories, is 
interesting reading. He tells us about field-names (of which he gives a list), 
gives graphic pictures of Yorkshire life and character, treats at length of cus- 
toms and superstitions in a way which would delight the Folk-lore Societ)’, and 
ends with an excellent glossary of nearly 150 pages, which adds something to our 
previous knowledge of a district by no means unworked from the English Dialect 
Society standpoint. The interest of the book, therefore, although strongest for 
Yorkshire men, is by no means restricted to them. 
Whitby is so favourite a subject of the painter that even those who have never 
been there are in some measure familiar with it. But no superficial familiarity 
is that displayed by Canon Atkinson. He begins with a delightful chapter on 
the story of Cajdmon, passes on to the history of the place, of its name, its site, 
topography, abbey, market place — all of which he treats with the thorough- 
ness that might be expected of him. Certain local historians are set right, and 
any amount of varied information is brought to bear on points connected with 
the history of the place. It must, however, be admitted that a great deal of the 
book is mainly of local interest, and those who take it as a guide to a summer 
holiday at Whitby will be the most likely to appreciate its contents. By the 
way, we note that Canon Atkinson usually has “ Caedmon,” whereas Dr. Murray, 
* Yorkshire Folk-Talk, by the Rev. M. C. F. Morris (Frowde, ’]%. 6d. net). 
Memorials of Old Whitby, by the Rev. Canon Atkinson (Macmillan, 6s. net). 
Annals of a Quiet Valley in the Wordsworth Country, edited by John Watson 
(J. M. Dent & Cb., 3s. bA. net). 
