The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

L
Eye Spy. Afield with Nature Among
Flowers and Animated Things. By Will
liam Hamilton Gibson. Illustrated by
the author. In this volume Mr.. Gibson
takes his young readers with him into the
woods and fields and unfolds to them the
beautiful mysteries of the common flow
ers, the wild things of the wood, meadow
and wayside. In referring to these COM
Imon flowers, Mr.. Gibson says: "Many of
these commonplace familiars of the copse
and thicket and field are indeed like
voices in the wilderness to most of us. We
forget that the "weed'' of one country
often becomes horticultural prize in an
other, even as the mullen, for which ii
is hard for the average American to get
up any enthusiasm, and which is toler-
ated with us only in worthless sheep
pasture, fourishes in distinction in many
an English or Continental garden as the
American velvet plant" Again he
says: The botanist finds beauty every
where, even among the homeliest of
Flora's hosts. But in the light of the
new botany, which recognizes the insect
as the important affinity of the fower-the
key to its various puzzling features of
| color, form, and fragrance-every com
monest blossom which we thought we had
| known all over lives, and every homely
weed scarce worth our knowing, now be-
comes rebuke and offers us q field of in
vestigation as fresh and promising as is
offered by the veriest rare exotic of the
| conservatory; more SO indeed, because
these latter are strangers in strange
land and divorced from their ordained
insect afinities." There is also much in
formation given in regard to insect life
showing how interesting even the most
humble of them are. One very interesting
chapter explains the mysterious light
called fox fire.
| Thre book is written in Mr.. Gibson S
happiest manner, and the illustrations,
like all his work, are graceful and lovely.
1t is not only an entertaining and in
struotive book for the young, but q de-
sirable one for all who wish to learn Of
natural mysteries. New York: Harper &
Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony
| Lady Burton. The Romance Of Isabel,
Lady Burton The story of Her Life told
in part by W. 81. Wilkins. Two vol
umes. With photographers and other por-
traits and numerous other illustrations.
This book gives in a very interesting
manner, the life story of Isabel, Lady
Burton, wife of the famous Orientalist
and explorer. Lady Burton was as re-
markable character as woman as Sir
Richard was as man. Both Lady Bur-
ton and her husband were very eccentric
and their doings abroad during Burton S
several consulates would alone make an
entertaining volume. The book is made
up partly of her unfinished autobiog-
raphy begun by Lady Burton few
months before her death; and partly OF
extracts from letters and journals telling
of her travels and adventures. The au-
thor has aimed to let Lady Burton tell
the story of her life in her own words,
wherever possible. The first part of tho
work deals with her early life and much
is written in regard to her romantic at
tachment to Sir Richard Burton. They
were married in 1861, and all through the
work her constant devotion to her hus-
band is shown. Interesting accounts are
given of her Continental tours and trips
to Madeira, Teneriffe, Portugal etc., and
of the period of her residence with Burton
in Brazil. Volume II treats of the
Damascus period, the journeys to Pal
myra, the Holy Land, and India, the
Trieste period and the closing years of
Lady Burtons life, spent mostly in Eng
land. That Lady Burton should at a
great pecuniary sacrifice to herself burn
her husbands translation of the notorious
Scented Garden is in Mr.. Wilkins's
opinion, all that need be said. Two more
unique characters than Lady Isabel and
Sir Richard Burton could hardly be
found, and the author has given AVERY
interesting account of them describing
their peculiar traits, their travels, advent,
ures, eto. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. !:
Portland: Loring, Short q Harmon