El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-31
Hunting With
The Camera

BIRD STUDIES WITH CAMERA. By Franz
NJ. Chapman. Published by D. Appleton
s. Company. New York. Price ST. 80.
One of the newest of outdoor sports
newer than bicycling and golf, is bird
photography. Frank Chapman, au
thor OF this book, 'estifies as an old
sportsman and one handy with his
gun, that to hunt the birds with q
camera IL sruer sport AMI eminently
more satisfactory in It's rewards. Mr.
tor of verte6rss sa'' Zoology s
In the American Museum of Natural
history and author of several books on
birds, but tn does not keep his book
from having jolly good fellow spirit
| that makes MIN friends with the chick
adees in Central park, New York. and
an acceptable companion for readers
who are book lovers, bird lovers and
lovers of out of doors, from Ell Paso to
the north pole.
The first interest one has in the book
Is in the photographs of birds, a
chickadee on the authors hand, pert,
| half fiedged Baltimore oriole, and of
beautiful cliffs with the waves and
spray dsshing high against them and
the gray rocks whitened with the
| lures are Interesting for the life and
art in them, to anyone, however iudif-
ferent 30 PATHOLOGY or photography.
To bird lovers or camera fiends the
book is invaluable.
The frsspart Is given over to
technicalities concerning lenses, plates,
proper focusing, tripods, lighting and
so on, points valuable to the photogrs.
pher and contrived to give him the
immense advantage OF Mr. Chspman's
experiments in bird hunting. After
the technicalities are over there are
delightful accounts of cat bird
ecoldinR an owl, with q portrait of the
angered bird, OF ordinary house SPAR
rows and some of their eccentricitie,
and photographs of them, from their
saucy attitudes while pecking
on the street pavement, to
their hurried retreats to the caves.
Another chapter on the chickadees In
the park with a photograph of Eve
tiny, fluffy, impudent, beaked ohicksdee
babies sitting in row, is delight,
and his acquaintance with the Least
Bittern is odd. where swallows roost''
gives chance to know something of
the everyday life of these winged twit-
tering punches of feathers, and the
tern pictures, of their nests by the sea,
of the awkward fledglings, of the wide
winged mother bird alighting on her
nest, are wonderful.
One can 60 through the whole book
this way. 1t has the charm of
tales of sport and adventure, the facts
of science and beauty. 1t carries to
the dwellers of cities who cannot spend
long days and nights in the out of
doOrs, something of the beautiful mys-
terry OF the birdie. The shyest of the
winged creatures who seek inaccessible
cliffs aud deep forests are shown in
their homes and unsfraid, doing their
duty in the universe's upfathomable,
mysterious law of life. Before leaving
the book, however, two more points
must be brought forward. one to reour
to praise of the beautiful Wis
tas of seas and cliffs that
are bird haunts, and to cay that the
book ought to be suggestive for in
teresting work right here in Ell Paso.
where 80 many birds come and nest and
bring up their young. No lover of
outdoors who has the time to work
with the camera should miss the book,
aud it would be good one for mothers
Of boy and girl kodakers. to put in the
hands Of the children TO suggest an in
telligent and satisfactory outlet for
their enerQfeS