New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

all
"a an fpe tinted paper, IN clear hShusoln.
a. - ;llustrations are worthy OF the ooiui'a
r. "'N l;Lc Of the artist, the scientlac man. anu
Hui' .. n pa+pre WHO is Reither Ia inc oI's"''
s the hook has been for some nfle ceieoi"''O
:, - one of three which the famous h'S'oi'"N '.
nance has written on themes drawn Hoii "aV ',.
,~ks Of which we shoyld not SO mach say th''. 'ieS
,~oro undertaken deliberately composed as}h' ''ey
,,oxr ont Of the authors inner sic, 10 use ms
ords they are the offspring OF the doites'o '"'i0
I'd the home hrosde Ii is rom our ho'rs VI A0'''
onr afternoon conversations, our WINTER i'"""s'
- SIMMER cossps that this book If IT be Dook.
V"u 80. araau, evolved These books Tho Bird"
..Tho Tnsect - The Sea" I" EOiscaU," " BInsecfe
ia Mr,, form a trilogy which few writers have sur
ossoa in force of STYLE beauty Of description anu
sngoestiveness OF sentiment They nave in'uo w
name of NIicheet as dear to French househoiuS "
mon and children, TO poets and lovers OF
hos Lana been 10 students by reason OF ms "u"'
HE historical works III them be shows 'Ao %. s
and the delicacy of his nature "iic.' eau e,-aat
~ we nav rightly call it desec''' i,oni ~
sairs that concern man and his sOcai ooN
- - his lives and hates, his feuds
I'd alliances horn Of political OF rehgious Iepui
-; cd Entities 70 the loves and eaTesses OF OI"S'
ar; 6f IN the rest or during their long flght over
land and sea 10 the transformation Oh lnseo'S' .o
ner;epces Of the butterfly and the midge, OF 10 INC
,t,n;te swarnlng life that gives SOUL as u were, 70
,ho otherwise blind and cropping ocean 1heSe i'''.o
hooks contain all the Taces OF style that nave Ha"o
Aiehelet's name famous as writer OF prose III i"-
zion distinguished above all others III modern ulhcs
sor ,ba number of its great prose writer's, and not
Lss all the delicacy Of sentiment and iargeness Oh
vvmpathy which have made him so BIT a historian oi
,be affairs of human beings here applied to the ilves
and enterprises Of little beings OF monsters wDo,
,een through the eyes and described by the pen oi
mis- oonsunnmate artist become as interesting rs Gu
nous as loyable as men.
Thosa who wish TO enjoy these books in then
,erfection will Of course, make their acquaintance
n the original French. Every French book that ha'
INV charm of STYLE loses somethingit Is fortunate
Il il do not lose all-of its charm in being trans
ta,ed into English But "The Bird" has had III
InCular GOOD fortune 10 find translator at ono
hinfnl and sympathetic well acquainted with th
,esonrces Of both languages and so deighting IN hi
hask it, indeed tho delicacy with which 1t IS pei
formed do not rather indicate female bahd-'ha
kho rendering has almost the animation and grace o
The ORIGINAL The modest initials a. L." at the enc
nj the Transator's Preface give as no eIne TO tl'
name of the person to whom are indebted for TIM
delightful addition to somewhat scanty Englsi
,ollection of works on Natural History. After read
ING Mchelet what wonder if one looks a little as
nance at the dry crust of Whites Selborne,' oI
Evelyn's Sylvia"
The Introduction which is partly the work OF
Mehelet and partly the work of his wife, tells us
how the author was led to the study of Nature, how
the book came to exist:
Ths work. whatever It's character. possesses ut least
the distinction OF having entered npon NE under me
climate communion of two souls and e IN s things Itself
uniform and harmonious. because the offspring OF two
different principles or the two souls to which u owes
it, existence was the more powerfully attracted 20
natural studies by the fact nat III ees their
GRANGE and sweet saver Tne other VAS SO mnSn 'ne
more strongly mpelled toward them because u had al
ways been separated by circumstances and detained IN
lbe ragged ways Of human history. - 49,.
History never releases its slave lie who has once
arnnk Of sharp strong wine wiz drink thereof IN bus
death could not wreneh myself from u even ~ aSy
those q the present and when on the runs 81 our s 3I
but not my soul my win All day applied myself to
ss last duty and pressed forward among the thon in
peaceful narrative Of some naturalist traveller s
tened and admired unable as yet 70 console myself 9rto
under control and Preventing any snSistes and any
Achelet then speaks of his deep interest III the de
yelopment of the natural sciences in France in mod
ern times:
The era Of LamArcR and st. HaiTe, 80 fertile in
method. the mighty restorers Of all science With what
happiness traced their features Ia ther legitimate sons
those ingenious chdIen who have Inherited Their Intel
At their bead let name the amisble and original
author VI the Monde des OseauX, whom the world has
most amusing Of naturalist shall refer to him more
than but hasten on the threshold OF 10Y book 10
weighty. SPECIAL, as Wilson or Audubon
Nevertheless the book before the reader starts
from point OF view which diners IN all things from That
Of our illustriOus master.
For l. as much as possible seeking only the bird IN the
bird avoid the human analogy. With the exception Of
two chapters, have written as only the bird existed
Man could not have lived without the bird which alone
could hun nom the insect aud the reptile but the
bird had lived without man.
Man man. the eagle had rcigncd on his Alpine
throne The swallow would not the less have performed
had st lowered lonely ocean waters
without waiting for human listeners and with al the
greater security, the nightingale had s chanted In
fopest his sublime hymn. And for whom For her whom
he loves for his offspring for the woodlands, and finally
Another difference between this book and that Of Tous
seDes is that harmonious he Ia ana disciple Of the
gentle Fourier he Is not the Less
page the military calling Of the Lorraine il clearly visible
My book on the CONTRARY boOk Of peace, written
Hunt the eagle aud the lien. Il you wlI but do not
The devout faith which we cherish at heart and which
teach In these pages Is that man will peaeeaby sub
due the whole EARTH when he shall gradually perceive
that every adopted animal accustomed u a dOuesti.
Gated fe st least 10 that degree OF friendship or
neighheorness OF which its nature capable snl be
hundred times useful 90 him thajf lie had simply
Man will not be truly nanwe return TO this tonic a,
se Of youme-until lie shall labor seriously 10
accomplish the mission which the earth expects bm
The pacihcatioi and harInOnous communion VI all ly
pg nature.
In the middle of this Introductory chapter is in.
serted fragment by Madame Michelet an account
OF her early life, and the influences that turned her
mind TO the study of Nature IL is a charming Idyl
picture Of French Countrywide that life which,
whether it be 50 10 reality not yet wears in the
descriptions Of writer's like George Sand. Mile de
Guerin, Madame Michelet all aspect of mingled
romance and reality such as seems 10 belong to the
rural life OF no other people II is too long 70 quote
entire and its unity and harmony would be destroyed
for the reader by giving extracfs Nor ran vca with