A Remarkable Book on the Habits of Animals

Abstract

THIS volume deserved a more distinctive title, since it differs widely from the several works of other naturalists with which it may be classed judging from the title-page alone. It is, in fact, so far as the present writer knows, altogether unique among books on natural history. It is to be hoped that its success will be proportional to its merits, and that it will form the first of a series of volumes, by means of which residents in the various extra-European countries will make known to us the habits of the animals which surround them. What renders this work of such extreme value and interest is, that it is not written by a traveller or a mere temporary resident, but by one born in the country, to whom its various tribes of beasts, birds, and insects have been familiar from childhood; who is imbued with love and admiration for every form of life; and who for twenty years has observed carefully and recorded accurately everything of interest in the life-histories of the various species with which he has become acquainted. When we add to this the fact that the writer of this volume is well acquainted with the literature, both old and new, bearing upon his subject; that he groups his facts and observations so as to throw light on obscure problems, and often adduces evidence calculated to decide them; and, in addition to all this, that the book is written in an earnest spirit and in a clear and delightful style, it be comes evident that not all who attempt to follow in his steps can hope to equal their forerunner. The Naturalist in La Plata. By W. H. Hudson With Illustrations. (London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1892.)