Houghton, Mifflin & Company have in press a bird-book for children by Mrs. Olive Thorne Miller, to be entitled 'The First Book of Birds.' As its name indicates, it will aim to introduce its readers to the study of birds by taking them from the nest through all the ordinary phases of a bird's existence, and including chapters on structure, economics, directions for study, etc. The book will be illustrated, and its author's experience as a student and teacher of birds is an assurance that it will be a valuable addition to ornithological literature.
Few nature books not designed to assist in identification of species have met with the sale that has been accorded Ernest Seton Thompson's 'Wild Animals I Have Known' (Charles Scribner's Sons). Published late in October, it went rapidly through several editions, and by January 1, or little more than two months after its appearance, 7,000 copies had been disposed of.
The reason for this phenomenal success is not hard to find; it appears on every page of the book, the text, illustrations, and make-up of which are equally pleasing.
Mr. Thompson goes a step further than most students of animals in nature. He does not present us with the biography of the species, but with its personal history, and his minute knowledge of and close sympathy with his subjects leads to his writing a singular charm.
Josephine A. Clark, of 1322 Twelfth street, N. W., Washington, D. C., publishes a useful 'Bird Tablet for Field Use.' It is abridged from the 'Outline for Field Observations' in Miss Merriam's 'Birds of Village and Field,' and may be obtained from the publisher for the sum of twenty-five cents.
Mr. C. A. Babcock, well-known as the originator of Bird-Day, has in manuscript a book entitled 'Bird-Day and How to Prepare for It,' which will undoubtedly be of much assistance to teachers, and add greatly to the value of Bird-Day observances.