Studies of Nature on the Coast of Arran. By George
Milner. (Longman, Green, and Co.)—The author of this pleasant, hand- some, and admirably illustrated little volume, describes it as " un- pretentious notes," and a sequel to his previous work " Country Pleasures," one chapter of which is concerned with Arran. The title of the book almost speaks for itself. It is in reality the journal of a visitor to Corrie, in the Island of Arran—a visitor in whose case Nature always conjures up Literature—and who repro- duces as best he can innumerable sights and sounds, and draws Wordsworthian deductions from them. Mr. Milner has not the eye or the eloquence of a Jefferies or a Burroughes, but he is a keen observer and a faithful chronicler. His book takes the form of a journal, a fact which adequately explains the fragmentary character of Mr. Milner's "unpretentious notes." This mode of reading impressions occasionally lends itself to bathos of the commonplace seaside sort, as when we are told, "Before break- ast we had our usual dip, and enjoyed greatly the roughness of the water. The wind was very high, and Master Fred's shirt was blown into the sea." As a rule, however, Mr. Milner's eminently photographic art lends itself admirably to the repro- duction of Arran, which is one of the most desirable—though also one of the moistest—places to spend a holiday in. Mr. Milner is at home with human beings as well as with inanimate
nature. His portraits of the various " characters " he came across are admirable. He can be sarcastic too in a quiet way, as when, by way of contrasting the two rival resorts of Lamlash and Brodick, he says, " Lamlash has a sheltered situation, and a mild climate also ; but then it lives in the presence of the duke's factor, and not in that of the duke. It is plebeian therefore, and in con- sequence is mildly snubbed by the aristocratic Brodick." To pleasure-seekers and health-seekers who are ignorant of Arran, this volume will be an enticement, while those—an annually increasing number—who do know the island will find their impressions revivified.
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