New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-10
photographing Big Game in Ger
man East africa.

-, unon mere slaughter and sublimely indif-
,.-.,t 70 criticism, if he is not, indeed. sub
.ly unconscious OF it. Nevertheless. the
.r.e- who has turned humanitarian exchang-
- the gun for the camera, is lifting UP his
Is IN earnest protest against the foolish ex-
.,,,.jon of the big game Of the wilds. and what
:, Res 70 say is finding constantly wider and
mora sympathetic audience. 1t would be diff
alt TO exaggerate the Importance. kind
:, -ssoruatory tract for bloodthirsty sportsmen,
%. book like Nj. c. G. Schillings's Flashlights
:. IN. Jungle" Doubleday. Page & Coz.
r.rson of this German publication was reviewed
:, The Tribune some timo ago, but the book
-,-es before us now in an authorized edition,
,.o,sfsted by Frederic Whyte, with an intro
,u,ton bv Sir Harry Johnston, and illustrated
-s.s three hundred fine half tones from the au-
..,-,s untouched" photographs. It forms a
s.s,,nst,ng record Of remarkable achievements.
w- schiIlings went again and again to At
a.. Sor the purpose Of obtaining specimens for
.,,,oricsl collections. and with special ambition
- photographer. It took him time TO &C
..-,nT,sh anything of serious value, but ultl-
-..slv he so far perfected his methods and MS
,e-etus that he was able TO bring bach HASH
ussts OF wild beasts showing them literally IN
.t.,- habits as they i've To gain his ends he
tss m lure his 'sitters'' with living bait, ana
.he-s "a something little droll about his effort
=. sxnsin away the cruelty. There may seem
:, ~ something grewsoule," he says, about sac
-sr,nr oxen and donkeys in this way but they
.-,,rd otherwise fall victims probably 10 the
...,sA av-a horribly painful death; whereas
,,o,s Kill very quickly and surely; they just give
ons bste in the neck. and do not torture tneir
-.y" Mr. Schillings makes nothing we lnfer'
:, the agonies of fear which the poor oxen ana
s,ntsvs must suffer as their execuuonefs ap-
-r,scn them III the middle OF the night. POS
s,,Iv II the victims had anything to say about
!, thew would take their chances OF the tsetse
sv However, here the photographs are. and
forgetting the means whereby many OF them
.-.ss ecou,red. we cannot but delight in their
wonderful character.
II Is as though we we're transported by some
magical process into the depths OF the African
sorest. there TO look on in perfect safety Whlie
Inns. rhinoceroses. elephants. hyenas and otner
beasts pass before our astonished gaze Some
n these flashlights are positively beauuIul u
,ha impression they give of wild life at It's WIG
est There is one. for example Of a par Of
r-bonson,s gazelles, which is like fairy scene,
The graceful little creatures seem so strange ana
vst so natural. There are others in which not
one zebra but troops of the picturesque ANIMALS
oons cautiously al night down to the edge Of the
,ooI The camera seems to register almost the
last ouiver Of the nervous elastic bodies. Then
the scene changes, and We behold young NIP
popotamus amid the heritage, or. more exciting
still the photographs present rhinoceros and
his mate half in and half out Of their secret
bathing place amid the shadows Of the Jungle.
For q certain dramatic and pathetic quality
,To+o IN niHf1 We
old msned lion approaching his living prey, a
rHd-syed OK, tied stoutly to a tree. All these
epsodes are set against the impressive back
ground Of veldt or forest and all Of them bring
the vivid, living atmosphere OF nature itself to
the printed page.
We DO not wonder that Mr.. Schilings should
pause every now and then to denounce the reck-
less hunters. foreign and native, who are exter-
Ininattng one species of big game after another.
and steadily diminishing the opportunities Of
taking photographs such as those with which
this volume is filled Incidentally, he discloses
sympathy for animals quite apart from his
passion for taking their pictures. While his
book IS necessarily devoted in great part to the
description OF his adventures with camera and
gun-circumstances or the desire to secure speci-
mems having made him indulge in many a dead
~ shot-he scdtters casually through his text
little notes significant Of reflective observation.
For example, he believes that a rhtnoceros can
have AN unselish feeling of friendship. a cry
ing need Of companionship.' and illustrates the
point by reference TO a young "rhino" whose
mother he killed. Supplied with a she goat for
companion the beast made friends with her,
ana even now, In captivity. is not 10 be parted
from her and the kid she has since produced
ne speaks Of nlarabous that showed him some
tning Ike affection in the joyful cacklings with
which they always welcomed his return to camp.
blld IN the caresses they bestowed upon him with
u@ir formidable bills. One Of his best stories
VI siLnost incredible intelligence runs as follows
? n !Sg witnessed q very interesting spectacle.
f-s Ia bseh Tor several hours following up the
G az Of some lions, when I came suddenly upon
"a 9stTchs nest, with some young ostriches IN
thiS aus. out OF their shells, and with some eggs
nm Few hours Of Matching. To my astonish
hie4t the lions seemed to have dsdained the young
bo1 ro. W examining the tracks carefully,
Sdoenty espied the lions in good time in the clear
fstobi.s nt and as the tracks indicated unmis-
seaes..9i!, mad enuced them away from the nest by
erecting speedy retreat The lions had followed
sn e Usuches for about hundred yards with long
VS. taLea back into their ordinary stride: In this
nsd brood It VAS fe9eeR I iaferesin tbs 10
Is. , Low clever these great birds are in evadng
IN sVtack or their dangerous enemies.
The present Lord Coleridge has recently pub
Hsheo book. The Story of a Devonshire
mouse" IN which he gives many souvenirs Of
ule poets family. 1t was distinguished family.
s4s Coleridges OF Ottery being useful and even
Hi-liant men in more than one generation.
"'fouSly. the author has comparatively little
" say about Samuel Taylor CoIeridge, and, ac-
V0Folng 10 The Athenaum." that little throws
en- cd light upon his relations with his brothers.
An appeal 70 the latter for help toward Hartleys
Snngge4Ses ~ Oxford, made by Southey through
~ I'm Aay-who himself advanced some thousands
.o ths charges incurred behalf Of John-ecited
- angry outburst from the colonel to his and
Ioo.,hdanI which Lord Coleridge. with d curious
80 OF good taste, here prints at length. The
Hssee brothers. James. Edward and George, were
tIAo4 . contribute yearly 80 betWeen