Jan., 1914 
THE PEOPEE’S BREAD 
25 
A single plate by ‘‘C. C. T.” (we should really like to know him) is like an 
oasis in the desert, because it does serve to recall to mind birds with which we 
are familiar. ‘‘R. I. B." ’s work, reached in the Sparrows, restores in a measure 
our drooping spirits. His birds really look like birds, even though the color jirinter 
has played him some scurvy tricks, as witness his pale pink Crossbill, page 169. 
The remainder of the book, filled (from page 172 on) with unsigned sketches, 
although we suspect some of the work to be “R. I. B.” 's still, because of the 
sustained excellence of its drawing, goes all to pieces in its coloring. Thus, the 
Green-tailed Towhee is smeared all over the back and wings with a vivid grass- 
green, as is also the Violet-green Swallow (poor little innocent!). The color- 
mixer tired of his work or else had orders to hurry up the job, and the result is 
a sad mess. Somebody soused the Ouzel's head in a keg of brown ])aint (who- 
ever drew that bird, page 218, as also the Catbird on the opposite page, has even 
Horsfall beaten). The Willow Thrush, page 235, fell into the lye vat and all his 
feathers bleached to a sickly yellow-brown ; while the Robin and the V aided 
Thrush and the Bluebird have beautiful I’crmilion breasts, such as even the Car- 
dinal might envy. By the way, what became of the black band on the Varied 
Thrush’s breast? We have told a thousand people by word of mouth that the 
Varied Thrush was much like a Robin, except that he had a black crescent across 
the brea.st. Could we have been mistaken ? Our “guide” declares we are. 
And some of the earlier plates are not above criticism from the standpoint 
of accuracy in coloring. The Bonaparte Gull, page 26, boasts a combination of 
immature wings and nuptial head-dress. The Western Gull, on page 23, dif- 
fers not a whit from the Herring Gull in the plate, although it is very differem: 
in fact. The Buffleheads, page 52, are way off color; the Black Turnstone, page 
91. is shades too light: and the Glossy Ibises, page 63, far too red. It is the 
achieved excellence of many of the plates in point of coloring which leads us to 
attribute the poor work to carelessness rather than inability. 
Hsually the descriptive matter offered is placed directly opposite the figure 
upon the plate to which it ai)pertains. Occasionally, however, transpositions 
have arisen, changes which must cause confusion to the inexperienced student. 
We should know, of course, that the Brown and the White Pelicans were trans- 
posed ; but the change in the Scoters, page 56, will mislead the incautious stu- 
dent ; while the confusion among the Anklets, page 15, baffles even honest in- 
quiry. The Quails, page 95, will deceive all but the elect. 
While it is obviously impossible in a work of this size to draw birds to a uni- 
form scale, it might be expected that those, usually only two in number, upon the 
same plate, would be of the same scale. Yet this principle, commonly observed, 
is .so often disregarded that it fastens upon the plastic minds of the young a 
vicious misapprehension which can never be quite shaken off. Thus, the dift'er- 
ence in the size of the lesser Loons, page 12, is grossly exaggerated; the West- 
ern Solitary Sandpiper and the Western Willet, page 33, apiiear as twins; Avhile 
the difference in the Curlews, really slight, save as it resides in the bills, is exag- 
gerated one-half. Wilson and Mountain Plovers should be carefully distinguished 
in point of size ; yet he who looks upon these in the “Guide” is confused forever 
after. Most offensive of all is the Swift plate, wherein Vaux’s is made to appear 
almost as large as its great kinsman, the Black Swift. These things are unpar- 
donable. 
In taking up the consideration of the text, we find, speedily enough, that 
it is incoherent and inconsistent, ungrammatical even ; that it is in fact, mere 
wadding. If this were all, we could forget it, and only wish that the spaces had 
