Shorter Notices
Masterpieces of Bird Photography. Edited by Eric Hosking and Harold
Masterpieces of Bird Photography is a carefully compiled anthology of the best bird photographs by the most successful bird photo- graphers, a kind of ornithological Golden Treasury. The editors explain the various tragic circumstances in which certain famous photographs, which certainly ought to be included in this collection, are missing from it, and very sensibly appeal for a central body to which precious negatives might be bequeathed in order to, avoid similar irreparable losses in the future. Mr. Chislett contributes an interesting account of the growth of bird-photography and its methods from the earliest days of the Kearton brothers. The sixty- odd photographs are beyond Praise, and completely justify the title of the book; but the brief account of the life and personality of each photographer which accompanies the examples of his work is a little pretentious and unnecessary. More detailed notes on the photographs themselves would perhaps have been welcome. Our Bird Book is in its own way nearly as good. Mr. Tunnicliffe's illu- strations of animals are well known through his illustrations of the works of Mr. Henry Williamson and also of books written by him- self. He ia perhaps not quite so happy with birds as with animals and agricultural subjects and not quite so successful in colour as in black and white. But this is to carp rather than to criticise, for this book contains delightful and masterly pictures whiih will bring Mr. Tunnicliffe new admirers and justify the faith of those of long standing.
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