Miss E. E. Helme's book, Down the Stream (Religious Tract
Society, 5s.), makes one realize the improvement which has taken place in Nature books for boys and girls during the last forty years. Miss Helme writes well ; her life-story of an Exmoor stream, from its source to the sea, reads easily, and gives accurate information about the beasts, birds; insects, and flowers along its course. She can tell a story, too, such as the Legend of the Pack Horse Bridge, which spans the stream. We can recommend this book, and its fascinating map, to any boy or girl who loves the country. Many of Miss Barbara Briggs' pictures are pleasing and artistic ; that of the hind and calf is particularly attractive. Others seem to have suffered in reproduction ; the grey wagtail on the wrapper is excellent, but the colouring of the same plate in the book has been unfortunately coarsened.
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