The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-26
ON p. RABBIT AND w. H. HUDSON.

= n. N.
THE bedtime field studies of Peter Rabbit,
ornithologst, are improved by the continuity
of book. Without preciousness Peter and the
birds could sometimes talk chocer English than
they do; and so could the author write it. But
the blemishes don t really matter Much more i'm
portant is the good thing Mr.. THORNTON BURGESS
has done toward making the nursery acquainted
with the bird life outside its windows The recipe
for producing true observant nature lover is to
catch your subject very young. How we'll Peter
Rabbit does that multitude of eager children
could have testified any time these last six years
The publishers of this Burgess Bird Book for
Children deserve special commendation Sharing
MIR. BURGESS view that the book could be made
seriously valuable, LITTLE, Brown & Co. went in
for costly color plates. They commissioned Mr.
FUERTEs, whose bird portraiture is in every way
the best there has ever been The beautiful result
is thirtytwo plates representing fftyseven species
In two or three cases the successive impressions
of the color printing process failed perfectly to
Register an accident that seems to happen in
the best regulated color work of this kind. Also,
somewhere between Mr.. FUERTEs's high scale of
values and his rendition of aerial perspective and
the printed product it in the book, mis-
leading effect has occasionally resulted. For in
stance, even in strong light and at the centre of
bright reflection the most splendidly iridescent
Purple Grackle still primarily looks black. And
the Great Blue Heron of the plate appears almost
a. wrathiike as white Egrets. The Heron in nature
does not Small children we know not discern
ing of aerial perspective.
On the other hand, most of the plates not only
defy criticism portraiture but pictorially they
have gained in appeal by the scentistartst small
concessions to illustration King Eagle bullying
Plunger the Osprey is particularly fine. Spooky is
the prince of Screech Owls on paper. And this is
by all means the bird book we should give to a
youngster of "a to 12'' for Christmas though if
the youngster were over 10 we should add to it
copy of Citizen Bird
The more one sees of W. a. HUDSON the better
one cannot but like him. Still we propose to con-
tinue liking dogs. He says he put The Greet Dog
E1perstition into his Book of Naturalist (Doran)
"just for fun He appears to be having it. Should
he meet up with Mr.. KPLnSG the fun win be fast
and furious on the spot.
Mr.. HUDSON is amiably contemptuous of cano-
philists he calls them. 1t doesn't seem to occur
to him that canophilia implies a canophobia. He
is death sentimental extravaganza of affection in
this matter; If ever there q naturalist moved
by unrestrained affections Mr. W. g. HUDSON is
his counterpart. The man who abruptly stopped
killing things in the holy name Of science while
contemplating adder he had intended to des-
patch is dispassionate judge of peoples seuti-
ments toward their pets.
he can see no especial mobility in the dog that
saves q human from drowning Dogs come down
from q mean aboriginal stock and inherit loathH
habits. In contrast consider the pig, immaculate
when given half chance. For fun Mr.. HUDSON
lists various beasts man ought to prefer as faniliars
to the dog In his own heart the pig seems to have
the large corner that any adult and matronly pig
would need.
As we write, totally worthless little mongrel
is nosing our shin. He wants to jump up and get
warm; he itches to be rubbed behind the ears car
ing nothing that this would interfere with neces-
cary fynur He will accomnlish Ii ton. fha or,a