One of the most interesting books on athletics that has appeared for some time is the "History of Yale Athletics from 1840-1888," by Richard M. Hurd, Yale '88. The book gives a complete account of every contest in rowing, foot-ball, base-ball, track athletics and tennis which Yale has had with other colleges, and is a decided credit to the author. As a general thing, books on athletics contain a confusing tangle of dates, names, anecdotes and statistics; but Mr. Hurd has separated everything in such a systematic manner as make the book particularly attractive to the reader. The accounts of contests are concise and clear, and the tables of statistics, records and facts are the most comprehensive that have ever appeared in a book on athletics. Although the book is written for Yale men, some facts brought out in connection with contests between the crimson and the blue are interesting to Harvard men also.

Among the University crew men, Bob Cook, Yale '76, is the only man we has rowed five years; thirteen Yale men have rowed four; while for Harvard, Bancroft, '78, Jacobs, '79, Brigham, '89, and Sawyer, '83, have rowed the same number of years.

During the past thirty-five years, seven out of one hundred and fifteen Yale 'varsity oarsmen have died, while out of one hundred and twenty-seven Harvard 'varsity men fifteen have died in the same term of years.

Over one-half of the 'varsity oars in Harvard have come from Massachusetts, and not quite a third of the Yale men have come from Connecticut.

For the last twelve years the average age, weight and height between the crews is remarkably near the same figure.

The Yale average age has been 21 11-12 years, the Harvard average 21 1-2 years; the Yale average weight 167 1-2 pounds, the Harvard average, 167 3-4 pounds; the Yale average height, 5 ft. 10 7-8 inches, the Harvard average 5 ft. 10 1-4 inches.

It is interesting to note that neither age, weight or height have any decided advantage, the oldest crews having won six times out of twelve, the lightest seven times out of twelve, and the shortest six times out of ten. It would seem that the qualities that bring success are not to be mathematically computed.

The essential similarity of the average Yale and Harvard oarsmen, despite differences between individual Yale and Harvard crews of three and a half years of age, of eighteen pounds in weight and of three inches in height, is also noticeable.

In foot-ball, out of 86 games played, Yale has won 81, including 9 from Harvard and 6 from Princeton, and has lost 5, of which Princeton has won 3, Harvard 1, and Columbia 1.

During the last sixteen years, Yale has kicked fifty-six goals from the field to one by her opponents. Other goals, Yale 431 to opponent's 19; Yale touchdowns 200 to opponent's 9; Yale safeties 14 to opponent's 103; Yale points 2331 to opponents 43.

Camp, '80, and Hull, '83, played on the Yale teams for six years, and Baker, '77, five years.