1899] A STUDENT'S ASTRONOMY 161 



promote a lively interest in the mind of the student as the practice of getting 

 results from experiments of his own, and it is on this true principle that the 

 author has based a great part of his woi*k. Wherever possible, he suggests 

 practical observations which, while requiring only the simplest instrumental equip- 

 ment, naturally lead to a clear comprehension of the problems. The author's 

 explanations are adapted to beginners, and the student is taught throughout to 

 think for himself, instead of simply burdening his memory with disconnected 

 data. It is safe to say that any one who will carefully follow this able guide, 

 will become acquainted not only with the most interesting results of astronomy, 

 but also with the methods which are required to deduce these from observation. 

 An extensive series of original illustrations form a valuable feature of the book, 

 which can be cordially recommended to all who are interested in the teaching 

 of astronomy. J. Halm. 



EXPERIMENTAL CYTOLOGY. 



La Cytologie experimentale. Essai de cytomecanique. By Alphonse Labbe, 

 Docteur es Sciences, conservateur des collections de zoologie a la 

 Sorbonne. 8vo, pp. viii and 187, with 56 figures. Paris: Carre et 

 Naud, 1898. Price 5 francs. 



As every biologist knows, cytology has ceased to be merely observational, 

 and has become definitely experimental. But the literature embodying the 

 advances which have been made by this new departure is scattered, and in 

 some cases not very accessible. Hence the value of this compact little book, 

 which supplies a clear and terse introduction to the subject, which may be read 

 at a sitting. Dr. Labbe, who has himself made some valuable contributions 

 to cell-lore, has here brought together illustrative examples of the most im- 

 portant concrete results of recent work on the influence of environment upon the 

 cell, the inter-relations of nucleus and cytoplasm, " tropisms " and " tactisms," 

 experimental embryology, and the like. There is no attempt at exhaustive 

 treatment, which would have spoiled the book, and there is an unusual reserve 

 of speculative suggestion, which is probably also wise. The book aims at being 

 a student's introduction to the facts of the case, and as such it is admirable. 



J. A. T. 



BIOLOGICAL LITERATURE OF SERVIA. 



It is not generally known that Servia possesses four media of scientific 

 thought. Two of these are found in the Srpska KraPevska Akademija, of 

 Belgrade, which publishes proceedings called Ghlasa in octavo, and Spomenik, 

 transactions, in quarto. The word Ghlasa corresponds to the German Nachricht 

 and Spomenik to the German Denkschrift. Both have been running since about 

 1888. The third is Nastavnih, the organ of the Servian professional society, 

 a journal similar to the now defunct Science Progress, consisting of original 

 articles only ; while .the fourth and last is Delo, or Journal of Literature and 

 Science. A set of the first three, in so far as they pertain to mathematical 

 and biological matter, has recently been received by the British Museum 

 (Nat. Hist.). 



RECENT LITERATURE ON THE FORAMINIFERA. 



Among the noteworthy papers which have recently appeared are two which 

 represent the first efforts of Croatian and Servian zoologists to deal with the 

 subject. One of these papers, by Velimir Dezelic, is entitled " Foraminifera 

 jadranskoga mora," deals with the Foraminifera of the Adriatic, and was 

 published in the ninth volume of the Glasnik Ilrvats Narod. Drustm, in 1896. 

 Unfortunately we have not yet seen it. The other is a paper by P. S. Pavlovic, 



