New-York tribune., 1909-03-21

Do. A. u Appleton q GO.
THE ROMANCE OF BIRD LIFE BY John Lea.
cott company.
CHILDREN AND GARDENS BY Gertrude Jekyll
Illustrated I2n1O, pF 49, Imported by Charles
Scribner's Sons
The groups of native birds which with the in !
ta-asting reproductions of their original sur
ror.ndings. now fascinate the visitor to our |
American Museum of Natural History. he owes
70 the enthusiasm and industry of Mr. Chap
man. In the collecting Of specimens. the study
IF habits and conditions and the making Of
,.-otographs from life this energetic orntholo-
cist has long been occupied. and in his just
,gflished volume he offers another agreeable |
arrount Of his experiences. His vivid and un- |
affected text is reinforced by a multitude OF
photographs of birds taken from ambush while |
the subjects were engaged in all the duties and
o-.-Ipations Of their harmless lives. OF the ex-
r,.5ftiCls made from end OF America to the !
other in search of material that which revealed
10 Linn what he calls the most remarkable |
sight in the bird world a Flamingo City, had
IcrllaTs the happiest results in the observation
Of hitherto unnoted details. 1t was on Ba-
rsrnan island that the delighted student had
his first satisfying vision Of the glorious rosy
company of two thousand birds: AT a distance
or about three hundred yards. the wind being
from is toward the birds. first heard their
i,anliug notes OF alarm. which increased TO
wave of deep sound Soon the birds began to
rise standing their nests. facing the wind /
and waving their black. vermilion lined wings. |
As We came little nearer in stately fashion the
birds began TO move: uniformly. like a great
body Of troops they stepped slowly forward, /
linons waving and trumpets sounding. and
th5n when were still one hundred and fifty
wards away. the leaders sprang into the air.
TO d off he kin
very earth seemed to erupt birds. flaming /
masses streamed heavenW ard The investi- /
gator camped on the shore and spent many |
aavs hidden in a blind in the very heart of the /
fa,n!ngo rookery. taking notes and photographs |
of the beautiful red d-feathered beings sitting on
their nests all about him The long necks were 1
coiled the heads comfortably bestowed under /
the warm feathers Occasionally something /
would startie a bird. and the honk of alarm /
would be given. Instantly. and with remarka- /
tle effect the snakelike necks shot up all over f,
the glowing bed of color before NE. transform /
ing il into a writhing mass of flaming serpents: I.
then as the alarm note continued and was taken (
up by a thousand throats, the birds, like vast
congregation. with dignif1ed precision of move
rnent gravely arose, pressing their bills into the
nests 10 assist themselves
The behavior Of birds described by MI
Lea is sometimes surprisingly marked by what
might te called Intelligence if we had not been |
50 often assured that il is blind instinct. All
available narrators have apparently been con- (
suited bv this author. and he has drawn from /
these sources = highly entertaining if rather /
.,rn1l;rti..- mass Of anecdote and description.
He sars forth aTnusngly. for example, the queer /
devise If that Antarctic bird. the Emperor Pen :
r1liD which standing on ice in a tempera- /
tare below freezing point. matches out its young !
sans nest and by dint Of holding its big egg on /
top Of its web feet sheltered 10y heavy fold OF
feathered skin from the under side Of the body.
He does not forget to mention the friendly at
ientions Of the bachelor auks Of Lapland as
described by Brehm, the German naturalist AS
there are not enough wives to supply the |
gentlemen Of the focks the bachelors instead |
Il suiking in their tents proceed to make them |
selves useful as family friends When the wife |
sits upon the eggs the bachelor keeps the hUs-
hand company while he mounts guard near the |
nest. and on those happy occasions when both |
husband ard wife leave the nest to fish for din |
ner Master Bachelor has fine time keeping /
the eggs warm. AS a result Of this unseldsh |
conduct" says Mr.. Lea, orphans are unknown |
among these birds just as they unknown |
among the Penguins, for even if both parents |
come 10 grief the bachelor birds are always |
ready 10 finish Matching the egg and TO take |
charge of the chick during the weeks which |
lass before il is capable OF attempting its first |
fight to the sea" II is not easy task if We |
o,Ee,, ,4iF9r - Taf f-Yrs O.