shoes from off his feet and watches and waits, feeling a delightful surprise in each piquant caprice of the little songster.  He tells the story of his experiences and impressions simply and pleasantly, often utters a good thing without too much emphasis, and yet more often says true things, which is more difficult still.  He is nowhere bookish, although he has read and can quote well if need be.  He reminds one occasionally of Emerson, oftener of Thoreau, while his method is that of John Burroughs.  His most careful studies are perhaps of the birds on Boston Common and about Boston, but he writes pleasantly and suggestively of those in the White Mountains.  One likes to be reminded that there are still bobolinks in the world, for they have deserted many spots which they once favored.  There used to be meadows full of rocks, in each crevice of which nodded a scarlet columbine, surrounded by grassy borders where wild strawberries grew thickly, with hedge-rows running riot with blackberry, sumach, and alder,—­all reckless of utility and given over to lovely waste,—­that were vocal on June mornings with bobolinks, but where in these times one might wait the whole day through and not hear a single note of the old refrain.  Our author finds them plentiful, however, at North Conway, where, as he describes it, their “song dropped from above” while he sat perched on a fence-rail looking at the snow-crowned Mount Washington range.

“The Cruise of the Brooklyn. 
  A Journal of the principal events of a three years’ cruise in
  the U. S. Flag-Ship Brooklyn, in the South Atlantic Station,
  extending south of the Equator from Cape Horn east to the limits
  in the Indian Ocean on the seventieth meridian of east
  longitude.  Descriptions of places in South America, Africa, and
  Madagascar, with details of the peculiar customs and industries
  of their inhabitants.  The cruises of the other vessels of the
  American squadron, from November, 1881, to November, 1884.” 
  By W.H.  Beehler, Lieut.  U. S. Navy. 
  Illustrated. 
  Press of J.B.  Lippincott Co.  Philadelphia. 1885.

The copious information given on the title-page leaves little to be supplied in regard to the subject-matter of this volume.  The same thoroughness is displayed in the narrative and descriptions, as well of the incidents of the voyage and the details of shipboard life as of the history, productions, and scenery of the various places visited.  They include, of course, no events or operations such as belong to the annals of naval enterprise or maritime discovery, but, besides the ordinary phases of service on foreign stations,—­the interchange of courtesies with the authorities, the routine of duty and discipline, and the scarcely less regular round of amusements and festivities,—­we have interesting episodes, such as an account of the observations of the transit of Venus at Santa Cruz, in Patagonia, the “Brooklyn” having been detailed to take charge of the expedition