The San Francisco call., 1899-10-29
FFlS 81 yR H BOOK Tf1E LITERARY WORLD o 6 TR N E2F 81

"shway Dagohn" in Rangoon. The dirt
of this hotel, the comfort of that club,
the skill of an elephant In piling logs,
the dress of the Burmese women, the soft
but brilliant colors of the Orient, the
sleep Of Buddhist priests, the chat or Eng
lishmen in the East about the Spanish
style that rests the mind and makes
amusing reading. 1t is a pity that Mr:
Shoemaker should have felt called on for
a higher flight when he reached Manila
He entered the town when the American
troops were first occupying it, and was
present at the outbreak of hostiltles
stances he regarded it as incumbent upon
him to deliver an opinion as to the po-
litical problems OF the islands. the dls-
cursive, loosely knit. inconclusive refiec-
tions of which he delivers himself mar
the pleasant effect of the other part or
the book, IN which superfciality is no de-
merit For serious information and wise
suggestions we must go TO traveller or
deeper insight and profounder knowledge
than Mr.. Shoemaker possesses. It is to
be regretted that at the end of his book
he gave up for a time his vocation as a
gossiping traveller. &C. P Putnam's Sons,
New York;
"a First Glance at the Birds by
Charles A. Keeler of the University Of
California is intended to be an tntroduc-
ton of the unscientifc reader to the BIRDS
of California, and serves as a prenml-
nary to a larger work on California DlrQS,
to be entitled Bird Notes Afeld Mr.
Keeler has followed the plan OF taxing
up the various more common birds OF the
State in a classified order, menuoInnS
such details about them as would strike
the attention or provoke the interest OF
the general reader, and adding 1nforma-
ton by which the species might be dls-
eliminated He has tried to avoid the ap-
pearance Of scientific dissertation, ana TO
give the whole that emotional and poeuc
Interest which is felt by all VINO nave
watched living birds in their haunts;
Brief passages written under the SpeH OF
this feeling possess unusual Qualities OF
literary beauty How exquisite the pas
sage where he describes the sea birds
nest on bleak, inh3ospitable bluffs
What home could be imagined pore
dreary for a baby bird, yet here where
WIND win ceaseiessly blowing, In some Granny
of the rocks, the tufted punnn lays ,,tS9 ne9
sStaFy egg and resFs m her Ke.eT 0nes
himself to the conveying Of such impress
sions as the sharp-eyed but unscienthc
observer might receive, his touch IS IN
faltering; but in the attempt to commun-
cate instruction which, however general,
is really scientific, Mr.. keeler comes 70
grief The task, as he himself says, Is
Impossible. The classification becomes
mere tedious list, and yet 1t does not pos
sess scientific precision. Moreover, the
details chosen for Identification are at
times such as the unscientif1c reader can
not perceive The whole discussion or the
species of gulls, for instance, VIII mercy
pIlZzIe an unscientitic reader who taxes II
seriously The passenger on the Oakland
boat will take an interest in noticing the
poise of head, the grace OF form tIe nav
less contour of one as 1t sails close pc
side the boat without motion OF its
wings the head turning now and then
and the sharp eyes ever 1, W. care for.
trifing difference in size or in the SHADE
of the long quill feathers OF the wing
Specimens in hand, even an observer OF
skill finds such differences not easy 10 ug ug-
termine; and the mere hints of the book
viii only confuse the tyro. ,.a--,.. o,,.+
The failure to MAINTAIN aeIIllCe polHC ptt
of view, either of the scientific or or the
unscientifc bird-loveT, makes the essay
unequal and awkward. Now II Is sGlehCe'
now literature now neither, and the re-
suit is disquieting and confusing TO the
reader.
The attempt to put too much informa- a
tion in has caused one passage TO De
seriously misleading From the para
graph on the Picarian birds, reader
would infer that all cuckOos, kngnsherS
and hummfng birds resembled wOodpeck-
ers in having two toes directed forward
and two directed backward. The mscon-
ception which would result from TINS
loosely written paragraph would seriously
embarrass a beginner. 49,, -.
Although it must be admitted that Mr-
Keeler has not fully attained his immedi-
ate object. yet he has written an essay
containing charming passages and written
as a whole in a charming spirit II he
could feel that science being out OF the
question It should be rejected completely,
and if taking the attitude of sharp
eyed unscientific lover of birds he could
write many such passages as those about
the putin, he would make a book of true
and precious poetry. Glider y shepard,
San Francisco, 80 cents).
Readers with a tinge of bookishness will
find in the Buckingham Letters" delight
unalIoyed. They consist of a series Of
letters supposed to be written by a brother
and sister, two highly cultivated persons.
members of a good English family. The
brothers part is taken by Sir Frederick
Pollock, the sisters by Mrs. Ella Fuller
Maitland, the wife of the eminent profess
sor of history Like good letter writers
nd a
dissertations. They touch cleverly, and
with a lightness which is not inconsistent
with real seriousness, on all sorts Of
topics-family matters. London smoke, the
criticism of Tennyson, the war with Spain,
Anglo-SaXon and East Indian curses,
bv a dog and old Scotch songs. The
book is clever throughout, without effort
or mechanical wit. What better criti-
cIsm could lady give to the author of a
book of erotic poems than this?-"Put
your mind at rest; you have made it clear
to me that you have no prejudice against
sin, and you may as well let the, subject
drop" And what prettier words could
an absent brother receive from a sister
than: 'TThe birdsl send you a message:
In thought we gently ruffie ourselves
against Sir Richards hand Trelawney,
cat Of my heart, on nearing this, and not
to be outdone in dutiful affection, said:
When I think of Sir Richard I purr in
voluntarily One of a dozen bicycle
proverbs is worth quoting THE inches
of our gear are three score and ten; and
though there be some so strong that they
ride four score, yet is their speed but
labor and sorrow at the days end, when
they fetch their wind short upon an HILL
These letters, with their background Of
devoted patriotism, their breadth Of
knowledge, their sense of the family
union, their sanity. may well balance some
other views of English life which are pre-
sented to u.s. The authors draw fearlessly
on their readers bank of knowledge. quot
ing right and left. Sir Frederick gives
few choice passages of Hindustani with
out a translation. They do not bite but
they take your breath away. (Dodd,
Mead & Co., New York. 81 25).
BOOKS RECEIVED.
"Our Country in War" by Murat Hal
stead. The United Subscription Book
Publishers.
1.-THE California Fruits" by E. ]. Wick
son. Pacific Rural Press, San Francisco.