SOUNDS OF BIRDS
The sounds of birds have been studied perhaps more than any others except those of man, but they have not been studied as speech, nor to ascertain their meanings. Their musical character has attracted attention and been the subject of some discussion. My opinion is that much that has been said on that subject belongs more properly to the realm of poetry than of science. I think the sounds of birds are chiefly intended for speech, but it may supply the place of music in theiræsthetic being; but, so far as I have observed, I confess that I cannot find that they obey the laws of harmony, melody, or time, and it is my opinion that most of the efforts to write the sounds of birds on a musical staff are not to be relied upon as accurate records of the sounds. There is no doubt that each sound uttered by a bird is in unison with some note in the chromatic scale of music, but the intervals between the tones of the same bird do not coincide with those of the human voice. It is quite evident that birds possess an acute sense and ready faculty for music, and many of them show great aptitude in imitating the sounds of musical instruments; some varieties of birds, such as the southern mocking-bird, the thrush, and others, imitate with great success the sounds of other birds. They often do this so perfectly as to deceive the species to which the sounds belong. The songs of birds, as they are called, appear to afford them great pleasure, and they often indulge in them, I think, as a pastime; theeffect is pleasing to the ear because of its cheerfulness, and it is not discordant or wanting in richness of tone in most birds. From the little study I have given them I think it safe to say that the range of sounds possessed by any one bird is quite limited and their notes are strictly monophones. This last remark does not apply to the sounds made by parrots and birds of that kind.
The parrot is perhaps possessed of the greatest vocal power of any other bird. He imitates almost the entire range of sounds that are uttered by all other birds combined, and can also imitate the sounds of human speech from the highest to the lowest pitch of the human voice. In addition to all this, he imitates many noises, such as the sounds of sawing wood, the slam of a door, and the whistling of the wind. The vocal range of the parrot is perhaps the most marvellous of all the vocal products of the animal kingdom. One strange thing, however, that I observe among them is, that the range of sounds thatthey use among themselves is very small. I have made some records of parrots, macaws, cockatoos, &c., and I find their natural vocal sounds usually wanting in quality: most of their sounds are hoarse and guttural.
Among the gallinaceous birds there does not appear to be much music. There is a great sameness of sounds in the different species, and they seem to be confined to the economic use of speech.
In my early life I devoted much time to gunning, and I observed then, and called attention to the fact, that when a covey of birds became scattered I could tell at what point they would huddle. I could tell this by the call of one bird and the reply of the others. The call-bird, which was always the leader of the covey, would sound his call from a certain point near which the other birds would usually assemble, and during this time they would answer him from various other points. The sound used by the call-bird is unlike that used by the rest of the flock, butthe sounds with which they reply to him are all alike, and by observing this I could always find the covey again by allowing them time to come together, especially if it was late in the afternoon.
Mr. Wood, of Washington, D.C., has given such attention to the sounds of birds that he can interpret and imitate nearly all the sounds made by domestic birds, and many of those made by wild birds. He has twice confused and arrested the flight of an army of crows by imitating the calls of their leader. His feats have been witnessed with astonishment by many men of science.
SOUNDS OF FISHES
Among fishes I have found but few sounds, and most of these I have never heard except when the fish was taken out of the water. The carp and high-fin, however, I have frequently heard while in the water. It has occurred to me that the sound is not the medium of communication, but it is the result of an action by which they do communicate even when the sound is not audible. I haveobserved while holding the fish in my hand when he makes this sound that it produces a jarring sensation which is very perceptible. It is quite possible that in his natural element these powerful vibrations are imparted to the surrounding water, and through it communicated to another fish, who feels it in his sensitive body instead of hearing it as sound. It may be accompanied by the sound merely resulting from the force applied, but not in itself constituting any part of the means of communication. It is not unlike what we call sound, in the fact that it is generated in the same way, transmitted in the same way, and received in the same way as sound. When I have time and opportunity I shall carry my studies of the language of fishes much farther. Their means of communication are very contracted, but it is superfluous for me to say that they have such means.
Many observations have already been made on the language of insects, and much diversity of opinion prevails. Very little has been saidabout the details of their intercourse, but the consensus of opinion is that they must in some way communicate among themselves. To me they seem to live within a world of their own, as other classes of the animal kingdom do. The means of communication used by mammals could not be available among aquatic forms, any more than could their modes of locomotion. Each different class of the animal kingdom is endowed with such characters and faculties as best adapt them to the sphere in which they live; and the mode of communication best fitted to the conditions of insect life would be as little suited to mammals, perhaps, as the feathers of a bird would be for locomotion in the realm of fishes.
LANGUAGE OF INSECTS
I am aware that some high authorities have claimed that insects communicate by sounds. My own opinion is that they employ a system of grating or scratching by means of their stigmata, but that the sound created thus performs no function in the actof communicating, but is only a bi-product, so to speak, and that the jarring sensation transmitted through the air is the real means by which they understand each other, possibly somewhat like telegraphy, in which the sounds are not modulated, but are distinguished by their duration and the interval between them. I do not announce this as conclusive, but merely suggest it as a possible key to their mode of intercourse.
A COLONY OF ANTS
I have observed that signs prevail to a great extent among ants. Some years ago I had an opportunity of studying a colony of ants, and I watched them almost daily for several weeks. I had seen it stated that they found their way by the sense of smell, but these observations confirmed my doubts on that point, and I feel justified in saying that they are guided almost, if not entirely, by landmarks. On the bark of a tree from which they were gathering in their winter stores, I observed that there were certain little knots or protuberances by which theydirected their course and which they always passed in a certain order. Between these landmarks they did not confine themselves to any exact path, but the concourse would sometimes widen out over the space of more than an inch, but as they approached a landmark every ant fell into line and went in the exact path of the others, which rarely exceeded in any case more than an eighth of an inch in width. Whenever an ant would lose its way it would lift its head high into the air, look around, and then turn almost at right angles from the course it was pursuing towards the path of the others. In scores of cases I observed that the outward-bound ant, when it had been lost and returned to the path, always came on the homeward side of the landmark and passed out. On the other hand, if a homeward-bound ant was lost it would approach from the outward side of the landmark and pass in. About five feet from the ground were two small, round knots, aboutone-eighth of an inch in height, and a space between them of about the same width. This appeared to be one of their most conspicuous and reliable landmarks, and every ant that I saw pass in or out during the lapse of weeks passed between these two points. The burdened ant always appeared to have the right of way, and when meeting another without a burden there was no question of this right. In such a case the burden was usually held aloft, and the right of way conceded without debate. A little later in the season I had the opportunity of seeing the same colony emigrate to a point about eighty feet distant from their original abode, at which time they carried large burdens and were many days in completing their work, but the same system and methods prevailed.
As far as desire can be found in life the means of expression go hand in hand with it, but I do not contend that desire alone is the origin of this faculty. So far as human earscan ascertain, the lowest forms of life appeared to dwell in perpetual silence, but there may be voices yet unheard, more eloquent than we have ever dreamed of.
Facts and Fancies of Speech—Language in the Vegetable Kingdom—Language in the Mineral Kingdom.
Facts and Fancies of Speech—Language in the Vegetable Kingdom—Language in the Mineral Kingdom.
In the early part of this work I have recorded the material and tangible facts with which I have dealt, and have not departed from such facts to formulate a theory beyond a working hypothesis. I have not allowed myself to be transported into the realm of fancy, nor have I claimed for my work anything which lies beyond the bounds of proof. But in the wide range through which I have sought for the first hint of speech, it is only natural that many theories have suggested themselves to me from time to time, some of which would appear almost like the dreams of hasheesh. But while they are like the fairyland of speculation, they are not more wild and incoherentthan are many of the dogmas of metaphysics. And at this point I shall digress from my text so far as to say that I have followed the motives of language through the higher planes of life and thence downward to the very sunrise to the vegetable kingdom, and on through the dim twilight across the mineral world to that point where elemental matter is first delivered from the hands of force. Standing upon the elevated plane of human development, it is difficult for man to stoop to the level of those inferior forms from which he is so far removed in all his faculties; but if his senses could be made so delicate as to discern the facts, he would find perhaps that in the polity of life all horizons are equidistant from each other. But looking back from where he stands, his powers fail to reach the real point of vital force at which all life began, and his contracted senses bring the vanishing point of this perspective far into the foreground of the facts.
From the highest type of human speech tothe feeblest hint of expression there is a gradual descent, and at no point between these two extremes can there be drawn a line at which it may be said "here one begins, and here another ends." The same is true of other faculties; and from the vital centre at which matter first receives the touch of life to the circumference of the vital sphere, all powers radiate alike, and there is no point that I can find between that centre and infinity at which some new endowment intercepts the line.
Descending the scale of life by long strides, from man to the lowest form of zooids, we cannot designate the point at which a faculty is first imparted to the form which has it, and this truth extends throughout the vital cosmos.
LANGUAGE IN THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM
The line of demarcation which separates the animal and vegetable is but a wavering, blended mezzotint, and the highest forms of vegetable life seem to overlap the lowest forms of animal, so far that no dividing line is positivelyfixed. The highest types of vegetable seem to have the faculty of expression in a degree corresponding to, and in harmony with, the rest of their organism. I do not mean to say that the impulse under which a plant acts is synonymously with that which prompts the animal, but both appear to be the effect of the same cause.
In some forms of vegetation the selection of food of certain kinds and the aversion to other certain kinds, would indicate that the organism is capable of design and purpose in a degree perhaps much higher than some of the lowest forms of the animal kingdom. The reaching out of roots in search of food in the earth, the opening and closing of leaf and bloom, seeking the moisture and carbon from the atmosphere, suggest a feeble expression of desire. The choice of food is so well defined in some plants as to indicate a power of selection far greater than some protozoans exercise. It is a known fact that a change of food and conditions often modify a plant in such degreeas to make it difficult to recognise except by the technical laws of classification, and yet its identity is not lost. Such changes do not effect all plants in the same degree, as some of them will undergo a change of diet or conditions without material effect. In many instances a marked dislike to certain kinds of food has been observed, and the sensitiveness of some plants is shown in the foliage, bloom, and even in the roots.
LANGUAGE OF THE MINERAL KINGDOM
In passing from the vegetable to the mineral kingdom, we find a like diffusion of types overlapping and blending into each other. Some forms of vegetation are so low in the scale of organism as to make it difficult to say whether they are vegetable or mineral compounds. Of course we find no trace of speech, but there is that hint of expression or suggestion of desire as found in the vegetable kingdom. In the chemical world one element will select another with which it will combine, while to other elements it shows a great aversion. When one chemical element selectsanother and combines with it we call this chemical affinity. The ultimate force which causes this affinity is one of the unknown facts concerning matter; but it is possible that such affinities and aversions constitute the basis upon which rests the selections and aversions of plants and animals. But as we rise in the scale the combinations of matter become more complex and the functions of each part more specific. It is possible, when we become more familiar with the forces of Nature, that we shall find that affinity and repulsion are but the positive and negative poles of the forces which act on matter; that chemical, vegetable and animal activity are based upon the same fundamental causes, and that speech, which is only one form of expression, is the highest product of such an ultimate force, but in all conditions of matter, such forces, either positive or negative, are the ultimate motives of expression.
VITALISATION OF MATTER
As chemical formulas differ from each other without losing the identity of their elementswhich constitute them, so animal organisms and plant forms differ as the spheres of life to which they are assigned differ. It is possible that chemical affinity may be the germ from which all language springs, as the chemical elements are the materials from which all compounds are built up. The vitalisation of matter itself, and the arrangement of the ultimate particles which constitute a living body, are the work of the vital force in a polarised condition. This will account, in a measure, for all the individuals of one type selecting one mode of expression, as they select or conform to one physical outline. In every rank of life there seems to be some intuitive mode of expression which suggest itself to all the individuals of that kind when they desire, under the same conditions, to express the same thing. The exceptions to this law of expression increase in number as we rise in the scale of life, and the means of expression increase and widen and the faculty of thought enlarges. The laws of chemical affinity are rigidand uncompromising, and there are but few exceptions in them, and only marked changes of condition can modify the results. As we ascend even in the mineral kingdom to the higher compounds we find a wider range of variation; and as we continue our ascent through the vegetable world, we find the same, and on through animals to the highest type. In the lower planes types are more strictly adhered to, habits and food more rigidly observed, while among the highest types of cultivated plants we find a great diversity of fruit and bloom, the capability of transplanting and the creation of new species, without losing the generic identity of the plant or even making it questionable. In the animal kingdom the same law is complied with; and step by step as we ascend the same types show greater and greater diversity, until we reach man—the climax of all life, and within his genus, variation knows no bound.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I may say that man as henow is has the faculty of speech. It is reasonable to believe that he has always had this faculty since he was man. If there has ever been a time in the history of his organism when he acquired his being from some progenitor which was not man, he acquired at the same time the faculty of speech, and that progenitor did not impart a thing which he did not have. While it is true that speech, as I have used it, is confined to vocal sounds, other modes of expression have preceded it, and such has been a common faculty inherent through all forms and planes of life. I am aware that two ingredients combined may make a compound unlike either one, and such may be the case with speech, but the elements which constitute the compound must have been for ever present.
THE SPEECH AND REASON OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
Dash and the Baby—Two Collies talk—Eunice understands her Mistress—Two Dogs and the Phonograph—A Canine Family—Cats and Dogs—Insects—Signs and Sounds.
Dash and the Baby—Two Collies talk—Eunice understands her Mistress—Two Dogs and the Phonograph—A Canine Family—Cats and Dogs—Insects—Signs and Sounds.
THE SPEECH OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS
To those who are familiar with rural life, there can be nothing strange in hearing it said that all animals can talk among their kind. Among the daily incidents of farm life, there occur so many proofs of this as to place the question beyond debate. The cattle have means of conveying ideas to other cattle, and sheep and hogs understand other sheep and hogs, and the means employed are sounds. These sounds are used in the same way that man uses them to convey his thoughts, and since they discharge all thefunctions of speech, in what respect are they not speech? The types of speech differ in different genera, as their physical types do, but they are not any the less speech on that account. Among the domestic animals, I think the dog has, perhaps, the highest type of speech; and this is doubtless, in some measure, due to his intimate relations with man, from whom he has learned and added a little to his mental store, and this must find an outlet through speech. That dogs think and reason is not to be doubted by the most stupid observer, and they often make known their thoughts so that even man can interpret them with certainty; but the speech by which they express those thoughts is of course rudimentary. Dogs often discharge certain duties with such promptness that bigots declare that it is mechanical and done without motive, but there are many thousands of cases where the dog has assumed and performed duties of others, entirely outside of his own sphere, which nothing but reason could have prompted.
When I was only a few weeks old, my father had given to him a little white poodle, which he called Dash. He was about my own age, and we grew up together. In those days, children were rocked in the old-time cradle, and I, like other babies, had a cradle. When I was a few months old, on one occasion I was left asleep in my cradle, and no one was in the room but Dash and myself. Having been disturbed in my sleep, I woke up and cried, and Dash, seeing the condition of things, came to the cradle, and, rearing on his hind feet, rocked it with his paws, and whined and barked until I had gone to sleep again. My mother has often told me of this, and assured me that he had never been taught to do this, but always after practised it, not only with myself, but with my younger brothers and sisters, until, at the age of thirteen, he came to an untimely death at the hands of a bull-dog, whose name and tribe I have never ceased to hate. I gave Dash the burial that he deserved, and had along procession of mourning children follow his remains to the grave, where I delivered the funeral sermon, and we all sung a hymn. About three years ago, in company with an older sister, I visited the spot for the first time in nearly thirty years, but no sign of the little grave remained.
What else but reason could have prompted this act? The dog had seen it done by human beings, and had noted the result. Whether his whining was intended as singing or not, I am unable to say, but from my recollection of seeing him do this with the younger children, I believe that it was intended to soothe or entertain, and his barking to call some one into the room.
A farmer by the name of Taylor, living in East Tennessee, some years ago owned two very fine collies, and they had been trained to drive the cattle and sheep about the farm, to drive strange cattle away from the premises, to guard the gates or gaps opened temporarily for hauling about the farm, and many similarduties. On one occasion, in haymaking time, as night was approaching, the waggon made its last homeward trip for the day, and the men working in the meadow prepared to go home. The driver of the waggon, supposing the men from the meadow were following and would close the gates, left them open, and one of these was between the corn-field and a pasture containing a number of cattle. The men, however, did not follow the waggon, but took a near way across the field, and the gate was left open. While the family was at supper, one of the collies was restless and barked continually, and gave such signs of uneasiness as to assure all that something was wrong. His master went to the door, and the dog ran to the gate in the front of the house, and continued barking and lashing his tail with great energy. The master followed to the front gate, and the dog immediately ran barking down the road, but looking back from time to time to see that his master followed, which he did, and wasthus led to the open gate, where he found the other collie on guard and keeping the cattle from passing, which they were trying to do. What less than reason could have prompted these dogs to such an act? And what less than speech could have enabled them to execute this feat? They observed the neglect or error of the driver, and foresaw the evil consequences, and it could only have been by agreement reached through an interchange of thoughts that one of them watched while the other gave the alarm. I have known some of these dogs that knew certain cattle by name, and would go into the herd and drive out the one whose name was designated, while it is true in other cases that the dog would only drive out such as were pointed out to him. But many instances proved that they are able to learn the names of the cattle. It is certain that in many instances dogs know the names of the children belonging to the family, and often distinguish them by name. I presumeno one doubts that they learn their own names, so that each dog may know when he is called. I know a dog, now living near Leominster, Mass., that extinguished an accidental fire which had been caused by the hired man carelessly dropping a burning match in some straw in the barn-yard after lighting his lantern. The dog had to fight the fire with his paws, and by the time he had extinguished it they were much singed. His loud barking was sufficient to warn the family that something unusual was taking place. They soon responded to his call, and found that he had the fire quite under control. He had thus saved his master's barn and house from the flames, and since that time, as I have witnessed myself, will not allow any one to light a cigar with a match in his presence. The peculiar sound which he makes under such circumstances appeals to the sense of fear or apprehension, and I have observed that the significance of all speech depends much upon intonation. It is less sowith man, perhaps, than with other animals, because of the great number of words which amplify and shade his meanings. But by a single word of human speech we can express many shades of meaning simply by modulation; but having at our command so many words to qualify our meaning, we lose sight of the value and power of intonation. The difficulty of discerning the delicate shades of meaning imparted by intonation, depends upon the mode of thought, and the simpler this is the keener the power to interpret inflections. One very important fact is that a dog only learns to interpret one sound on one subject at any one time. He cannot put together in his mind a great number of sounds, nor interpret complex ideas in detail. I know a dog in Charleston, South Carolina, that would fly into a rage and bark fiercely if you say, "Chad, where is that big black dog that whipped you so badly?" But repeated experiments proved to my mind that the dog did not interpret any part of thesentence except the words "black dog," and even this seemed to depend chiefly upon the sound "black," and by saying this sound you would get the same results as to use the entire sentence. He had been whipped by a dog of this description, and had been so often reminded of it that he had associated the sound with the incident.
I know a little dog in New York that understands the same sound in a similar way and for similar reasons. She also recognises the name of the lady who owns the black dog. A family, with whom I am on close terms of friendship, owns an ugly little mongrel, to which two of the daughters are very devoted. They have reared her with great care, and lavished upon her many luxuries, far better than most human beings enjoy. The young ladies declared to me that Eunice (which is the dog's name) could understand every word they said on any subject that she had been accustomed to hear.
Mattie would say to her, "Eunice, go tell Miss Kate to get on her hat and let us go take a walk." The little dog would run to Miss Kate's room and bark and jump until the young lady would comply. I found that the dog associated the sounds "hat" and "walk" with the act of taking a stroll in the company of the young ladies; but she would act just the same when either one of these words were said to her as she would if one were to repeat a whole canto of Milton; and I think the young ladies have never quite forgiven me for trying to prove to them that Eunice was not a fine English scholar.
I find, by means of many experiments, that much depends upon the manner of delivering these sounds; but that the animal is largely guided by the sound alone is proven by the fact that some dogs understand English, others French, German, or some other language, and they do not really understand unless addressed in the speech with which they are familiar.
A short time since I tried a novel experiment with the phonograph and two black-and-tan terriers, mother and son. The son was a notorious talker in the way of barking almost continuously at everything, and on all occasions and at all times, while the mother was naturally taciturn, good-natured, and fairly intelligent. I first took the son to a room where I had the phonograph, and I made a record of a number of sounds of his voice. The children aided me in the experiment by getting him to talk for food, bark at his image in the mirror, and by various other ways they induced him to other sounds in the presence of the phonograph. A few days later I had them bring the mother to the same place, where I discharged the contents of my phonograph cylinder in her presence. She gave every evidence of recognising the sounds of the young dog, and in a few instances responded to them. She was naturally perplexed at not being able to find him, and searched the horn and various parts of theroom in quest of the young dog. I delivered to her at the same time the record of another dog, to which she paid little attention except by an occasional growl and a look into the horn to see what it meant. She evidently recognised the sounds of the young dog with which she was familiar and seemed to interpret their meanings, whereas the sounds from the other cylinder did little more than attract her attention.
Last summer I stopped at a small town in Northern Virginia. A young man at the same hotel had two setters and a black-and-tan terrier. I experimented extensively with these three dogs during my stay, and deduced therefrom some conclusions which were inevitable. The hotel verandah opened on the street, and was a place of resort for gentlemen of leisure about town. There was also a side entrance through a large yard. I have frequently observed the dogs lying asleep on the verandah, when the owner would enter the side yard on a flagstone walk, often inthe midst of conversation of a dozen men. The terrier would recognise the footsteps of his master, would utter a low sound and spring to his feet, and rush at once in the direction whence he heard the steps. The setters invariably seemed to know what it meant, would raise their heads, lash their tails upon the floor, showing evident signs of understanding the situation. I have seen this terrier recognise the steps of his master when the latter was accompanied by two or three other persons. The delicate precision of his hearing was marvellous, and in no instance, so far as I observed, was he deceived in the approaching footsteps. I cannot believe that he was guided by the sense of smell, as it is evident that the setters, whose habits of hunting have developed in them a much more sensitive olfactory power, would naturally have been the first to have detected their master's approach, and yet it was equally evident that the terrier's ears were the first to catch the sounds.
I have observed among dogs associated with each other that where one should bark in the distance, as though he had something at bay, his companion, hearing him from the house, would prick up his ears, listen for a moment, and then dash off in the direction from whence the sounds came; whereas the bark of a strange dog, even having something at bay, would only cause him to listen, utter a low sound or grunt, and lie down again and take a nap, as much as to say "That's nothing to me!" I have known many instances where dogs would follow the farm waggon to town, and faithfully guard the waggon and its contents all day long, with a fidelity that we seldom see in the most devoted servants. The attachment of a dog to his master has been a subject of remark from time immemorial, until the saying has crystallised into a maxim—"As faithful as a watch-dog." A friend of mine had a little terrier, whose name was Nicodemus, that had a habit of sitting in the kitchen window to watch people passthe street. She assures me that on washdays, when the steam condensed on the window-panes, Nicodemus would lick the moisture from the glass in order to see through it more clearly. Could instinct be the guide in such an act?
If man would only pause and calmly view the facts, he would find that he is but a joint heir of Nature; and why not so? From a religious point of view I cannot doubt that the wisdom and mercy of God would bestow alike on all the faculties of speech and reason as their conditions of life require them, and from a scientific point of view I cannot charge the laws of evolution with such disorder. In either case it were a harsh and jarring discord in the great harp of Nature, whether played by the hand of Chance or swept by the fingers of Omniscience.
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By REAR-ADMIRAL COLOMB,COL. MAURICE, R.A.,MAJOR HENDERSON,Staff College,CAPTAIN MAUDE,ARCHIBALD FORBES,CHARLES LOWE,D. CHRISTIE MURRAY,F. SCUDAMORE,andSIR CHARLES DILKE.
In this narrative, which is reprinted from the pages ofBlack and White, an attempt is made to forecast the course of events preliminary and incidental to the Great War which, in the opinion of military and political experts, will probably occur in the immediate future.
The writers, who are well-known authorities on international politics and strategy, have striven to derive the conflict from its most likely source, to conceive the most probable campaigns and acts of policy, and generally to give to their work the verisimilitude and actuality of real warfare. The work has been profusely illustrated from sketches by Mr. Frederic Villiers, the well-known war artist.[Nearly ready.
THE OLD MAIDS' CLUB.ByI. Zangwill, Author of "The Bachelors' Club." Illustrated byF. H. Townsend. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.
WOMAN—THROUGH A MAN'S EYEGLASS.ByMalcolm C. Salaman. With Illustrations byDudley Hardy. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.
Daily Graphic.—"A most amusing book."
Daily Telegraph.—"Written with brightness and elegance, and with touches of both caustic satire and kindly humour."
Daily Chronicle.—"It is the very thing for a punt cushion or a garden hammock."
ADDRESSES.ByHenry Irving. Small crown 8vo. With Portrait.[In the Press.
STRAY MEMORIES.ByEllen Terry. 4to, Illustrated.[In preparation.
GIRLS AND WOMEN.ByE. Chester. Pott 8vo, cloth, 2s.6d., or gilt extra, 3s.6d.
Literary World.—"We gladly commend this delightful little work to the thoughtful girls of our own country. We hope that many parents and daughters will read and ponder over the little volume."
THE JEW AT HOME.Impressions of a Summer and Autumn Spent with Him. ByJoseph Pennell. With Illustrations by the Author.[In the Press.
GOSSIP IN A LIBRARY.ByEdmund Gosse, Author of "Northern Studies," &c. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, buckram, gilt top, 7s.6d.
Athenæum.—"There is a touch of Leigh Hunt in this picture of the book-lover among his books, and the volume is one that Leigh Hunt would have delighted in."
***Large Paper Edition, limited to 100 Numbered Copies, 25s. net.
THE NEW EXODUS.The Story of the Jew in Russia. ByHarold Frederic. Demy 8vo, Illustrated.[In the Press.
THE WORD OF THE LORD UPON THE WATERS.Sermons read by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Germany, while at Sea on his Voyages to the Land of the Midnight Sun. Composed by Dr.Richter, Army Chaplain, and Translated from the German byJohn R. McIlraith. 4to, cloth, 2s.6d.
Times.—"The Sermons are vigorous, simple, and vivid in themselves, and well adapted to the circumstances in which they were delivered."
THE HOURS OF RAPHAEL, IN OUTLINE.Together with the Ceiling of the Hall where they were originally painted. ByMary E. Williams. Folio, cloth,£2 2s.net.
THE PASSION PLAY AT OBERAMMERGAU, 1890.ByF. W. Farrar, D.D., F.R.S., Archdeacon and Canon of Westminster, &c. &c. 4to, cloth, 2s.6d.
Spectator.—"This little book will be read with delight by those who have, and by those who have not, visited Oberammergau."
DE QUINCEY MEMORIALS.Being Letters and other Records here first Published, with Communications fromColeridge, TheWordsworths,Hannah More,Professor Wilsonand others. Edited, with Introduction, Notes, and Narrative, byAlexander H. Japp, LL.D., F.R.S.E. In two volumes, demy 8vo, cloth, with portraits, 30s.net.
Daily Telegraph.—"Few works of greater literary interest have of late years issued from the press than the two volumes of 'De Quincey Memorials.' They comprise most valuable materials for the historian of literary and social England at the beginning of the century; but they are not on that account less calculated to amuse, enlighten, and absorb the general reader of biographical memoirs."
THE SOCIAL LIFE OF MARIE BASHKIRTSEFF.Letters and Journals. With Drawings and Studies by the youthful Artist.[In preparation.
PRINCE BISMARCK.An Historical Biography. ByCharles Lowe, M.A. With Portraits. In One Volume.[In the Press.
LIFE OF HEINRICH HEINE.ByRichard Garnett, LL.D. With Portrait. Crown 8vo (uniform with the translation of Heine's Works).[In preparation.
THE LIFE OF HENRIK IBSEN.ByHenrik Jæger. Translated byClara Bell. With the Verse done into English from the Norwegian Original byEdmund Gosse. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.
Academy.—"We welcome it heartily. An unqualified boon to the many English students of Ibsen."
THE GENTLE ART OF MAKING ENEMIES.As pleasingly exemplified in many instances, wherein the serious ones of this earth, carefully exasperated, have been prettily spurred on to indiscretions and unseemliness, while overcome by an undue sense of right. ByJ. McNeil Whistler. A New Edition. Pott 4to, half cloth, 10s.6d.
Punch.—"The book in itself, in its binding, print and arrangement, is a work of art.... A work of rare humour, a thing of beauty and a joy for now and ever."
THE COMING TERROR.And other Essays and Letters. ByRobert Buchanan. Second Edition. Demy 8vo, cloth, 12s.6d.
Daily Chronicle.—"This amusing, wrong-headed, audacious, 'cranky' book should be widely read, for there is not a dull line in it."
ARABIC AUTHORS: A Manual of Arabian History and Literature. ByF. F. Arbuthnot, M.R.A.S., Author of "Early Ideas," "Persian Portraits," &c. 8vo, cloth, 10s.
Manchester Examiner.—"The whole work has been carefully indexed, and will prove a handbook of the highest value to the student who wishes to gain a better acquaintance with Arabian letters."
THE GARDEN'S STORY; or, Pleasures and Trials of an Amateur Gardener. ByG. H. Ellwanger. With an Introduction by the Rev.C. Wolley Dod. 12mo, cloth, with Illustrations, 5s.
Scotsman.—"It deals with a charming subject in a charming manner."
IDLE MUSINGS: Essays in Social Mosaic. ByE. Conder Gray, Author of "Wise Words and Loving Deeds," &c. &c. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.
Saturday Review.—"Light, brief, and bright."
THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN AMERICA.ByRichard T. Ely, Ph.D., Associate in Political Economy, Johns Hopkins University. Crown 8vo, cloth, 5s.
Saturday Review.—"Both interesting and valuable."
THE LITTLE MANX NATION.(Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution, 1891.) ByHall Caine, Author of "The Bondman," "The Scapegoat," &c. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.; paper, 2s.6d.
World.—"Mr. Hall Caine takes us back to the days of old romance, and, treating tradition and history in the pictorial style of which he is a master, he gives us a monograph of Man especially acceptable."
NOTES FOR THE NILE.Together with a Metrical Rendering of the Hymns of Ancient Egypt and of the Precepts of Ptahhotep (the oldest book in the world). ByHardwicke D. Rawnsley, M.A. 16mo, cloth, 5s.
DENMARK: Its History, Topography, Language, Literature, Fine Arts, Social Life, and Finance. Edited byH. Weitemeyer. Demy 8vo, cloth, with Map, 12s.6d.
***Dedicated, by permission, to H.R.H. the Princess of Wales.
Morning Post.—"An excellent account of everything relating to this Northern country."
IMPERIAL GERMANY.A Critical Study of Fact and Character. BySidney Whitman. New Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Crown 8vo, cloth 2s.6d.; paper, 2s.
Prince Bismarck.—"I consider the different chapters of this book masterly."
THE CANADIAN GUIDE-BOOK.The Tourist's and Sportsman's Guide to Eastern Canada and Newfoundland, including full descriptions of Routes, Cities, Points of Interest, Summer Resorts, Fishing Places, &c., in Eastern Ontario, The Muskoka District, The St. Lawrence Region, The Lake St. John Country, The Maritime Provinces, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. With an Appendix giving Fish and Game Laws, and Official Lists of Trout and Salmon Rivers and their Lessees. ByCharles G. D. Roberts, Professor of English Literature in King's College, Windsor, N.S. With Maps and many Illustrations. Crown 8vo, limp cloth, 6s.
THE GENESIS OF THE UNITED STATES.A Narrative of the Movement in England, 1605-1616, which resulted in the Plantation of North America by Englishmen, disclosing the Contest between England and Spain for the Possession of the Soil now occupied by the United States of America; set forth through a series of Historical Manuscripts now first printed, together with a Re-issue of Rare Contemporaneous Tracts, accompanied by Bibliographical Memoranda, Notes, and Brief Biographies. Collected, Arranged, and Edited byAlexander Brown, F.R.H.S. With 100 Portraits, Maps, and Plans. In two volumes. Roy. 8vo, buckram,£3 13s.6d.
Times.—"Should prove invaluable to all serious students of the early history of the United States."
THE NAULAHKA.A Tale of West and East. ByRudyard KiplingandWolcott Balestier. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.
THE AVERAGE WOMAN.ByWolcott Balestier. With Portrait of the Author, and Biographical Introduction byHenry James. Small crown 8vo, 3s.6d.
NOR WIFE, NOR MAID.By Mrs.Hungerford, Author of "Molly Bawn," &c. In three volumes. 31s.6d.
ORIOLE'S DAUGHTER.A Novel. ByJessie Fothergill, Author of "The First Violin," &c. In two volumes.[In the Press.
THE HEAD OF THE FIRM.By Mrs.Riddell, Author of "George Geith," "Maxwell Drewett," &c.[In the Press.
THE TOWER OF TADDEO.A Novel. ByOuida, Author of "Two Little Wooden Shoes," &c. In volumes.[In the Press.
WOMAN AND THE MAN.A Love Story. ByRobert Buchanan, Author of "Come Live with Me and be My Love," "The Moment After," "The Coming Terror," &c. In two volumes.[In preparation.
LITTLE JOHANNES.ByFrederick van Eeden. Translated from the Dutch byClara Bell. With an Introduction byAndrew Lang. Illustrated.[In preparation.
***Also a Large Paper Edition.
THE DOMINANT SEVENTH.A Musical Story. ByKate Elizabeth Clarke. Crown 8vo, cloth, 5s.
Speaker.—"A very romantic story."
PASSION THE PLAYTHING.A Novel. ByR. Murray Gilchrist. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.
Athenæum.—"This well-written story must be read to be appreciated."
Mr.Heinemannhas made arrangements with a number of theFirst and Most Popular English,American, andColonial Authorswhich will enable him to issue a series ofNew and Original Works, to be known asThe Crown Copyright Series, complete in One Volume, at a uniform price ofFive Shillings each. These Novels will not pass through an Expensive Two or Three Volume Edition, but they will be obtainable at theCirculating Libraries, as well as at all Booksellers' and Bookstalls.
ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.ByAmélie Rives, Author of "The Quick or the Dead."
Scotsman.—"The literary work is highly artistic.... It has beauty and brightness, and a kind of fascination which carries the reader on till he has read to the last page."
THE PENANCE OF PORTIA JAMES.ByTasma, Author of "Uncle Piper of Piper's Hill," &c.
Athenæum.—"A powerful novel."
Daily Chronicle.—"Captivating and yet tantalising, this story is far above the average."
Vanity Fair.—"A very interesting story, morally sound, and flavoured throughout with ease of diction and lack of strain."
INCONSEQUENT LIVES.A Village Chronicle, shewing how certain folk set out for El Dorado; what they attempted; and what they attained. ByJ. H. Pearce, Author of "Esther Pentreath," &c.
Saturday Review.—"A vivid picture of the life of Cornish fisher-folk. It is unquestionably interesting."
Literary World.—"Powerful and pathetic ... from first to last it is profoundly interesting. It is long since we read a story revealing power of so high an order, marked by such evident carefulness of workmanship, such skill in the powerful and yet temperate presentation of passion, and in the sternly realistic yet delicate treatment of difficult situations."
A QUESTION OF TASTE.ByMaarten Maartens, Author of "An Old Maid's Love," &c.
National Observer.—"There is more than cleverness; there is original talent, and a good deal of humanity besides."
COME LIVE WITH ME AND BE MY LOVE.ByRobert Buchanan, Author of "The Moment After," "The Coming Terror," &c.[In the Press.
THE O'CONNORS OF BALLINAHINCH.By Mrs.Hungerford, Author of "Molly Bawn," &c.[In the Press.
A BATTLE AND A BOY.ByBlanche Willis Howard, Author of "Guenn," &c.[In preparation.
VANITAS.ByVernon Lee, Author of "Hauntings," &c.[In preparation.
Edited by EDMUND GOSSE.
New Review.—"If you have any pernicious remnants of literary chauvinism I hope it will not survive the series of foreign classics of which Mr. William Heinemann, aided by Mr. Edmund Gosse, is publishing translations to the great contentment of all lovers of literature."
Times.—"A venture which deserves encouragement."
Each Volume has an Introduction specially written by the Editor.Price, in paper covers, 2s.6d.each, or cloth, 3s.6d.
IN GOD'S WAY.From the Norwegian ofBjörnstjerne Björnson.
Athenæum.—"Without doubt the most important and the most interesting work published during the twelve months.... There are descriptions which certainly belong to the best and cleverest things our literature has ever produced. Amongst the many characters, the doctor's wife is unquestionably the first. It would be difficult to find anything more tender, soft, and refined than this charming personage."
PIERRE AND JEAN.From the French ofGuy de Maupassant.
Pall Mall Gazette.—"So fine and faultless, so perfectly balanced, so steadily progressive, so clear and simple and satisfying. It is admirable from beginning to end."
Athenæum.—"Ranks amongst the best gems of modern French fiction."
THE CHIEF JUSTICE.From the German ofKarl Emil Franzos, Author of "For the Right," &c.
New Review.—"Few novels of recent times have a more sustained and vivid human interest."
Christian World.—"A story of wonderful power ... as free from any thing objectionable as 'The Heart of Midlothian.'"
WORK WHILE YE HAVE THE LIGHT.From the Russian of CountLyof Tolstoy.
Liverpool Mercury.—"Marked by all the old power of the great Russian novelist."
Manchester Guardian.—"Readable and well translated; full of high and noble feeling."
FANTASY.From the Italian ofMatilde Serao.
National Observer.—"The strongest work from the hand of a woman that has been published for many a day."
Scottish Leader.—"The book is full of a glowing and living realism.... There is nothing like 'Fantasy' in modern literature.... It is a work of elfish art, a mosaic of light and love, of right and wrong, of human weakness and strength, and purity and wantonness, pieced together in deft and witching precision."
FROTH.From the Spanish of DonArmando Palacio-Valdés.
Daily Telegraph.—"Vigorous and powerful in the highest degree. It abounds in forcible delineation of character, and describes scenes with rare and graphic strength."
FOOTSTEPS OF FATE.From the Dutch ofLouis Couperus.
Daily Chronicle.—"A powerfully realistic story which has been excellently translated."
Gentlewoman.—"The consummate art of the writer prevents this tragedy from sinking to melodrama. Not a single situation is forced or a circumstance exaggerated."
PEPITA JIMÉNEZ.From the Spanish ofJuan Valera.
W. D. Howells.—"An exquisite masterpiece."
New Review(Mr. George Saintsbury):—"There is no doubt at all that it is one of the best stories that have appeared in any country in Europe for the last twenty years."
THE COMMODORE'S DAUGHTERS.From the Norwegian ofJonas Lie.
Athenæum.—"Everything that Jonas Lie writes is attractive and pleasant; the plot of deeply human interest, and the art noble."
THE HERITAGE OF THE KURTS.From the Norwegian ofBjörnstjerne Björnson.