HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



1 27 



revised by Professor J. B. Balfour. Its chief aim is 

 to set forth the known facts in the life of bacteria in 

 connection with those with which we are acquainted 

 in other branches of natural history. The student of 

 bacteria could not find a shorter synopsis of the 

 bacteria, nor of their habits, life-history, etc., than 

 in this small volume. 



A Dictionary of Place- Names, Giving their Deriva- 

 tions, by C. Blackie (London : John Murray). At 

 first sight, a book like this seems to have nothing to 

 do with natural history. There a person would be 

 mistaken. The names of many places enshrine the 

 ancient physical and geographical conditions which 

 do not exist to-day. From this point, the subject is 

 comparatively unworked. From the historic point of 

 view, it has been fairly thrashed out by Canon Taylor, 

 Professor Joyce, and others. To intellectual tourists 

 the names of places may possess an additional interest. 

 Mr. Blackie has done excellently, and Professor 

 Blackie has done well to the book (as well as the 

 author, we suppose) by a charming "Introduction" 

 to a subject no man loved better or worked better. 

 Intelligent Scottish and Welsh tourists, please get 

 this volume, and put it in your knapsacks. 



The Shell Collectors' Manual, by J. W. Williams 

 (London : Roper and Drowley). Perhaps' there was 

 no practical work more needed for students than this. 

 The rule in natural history (so far as we know, after 

 nearly twenty years' practical experience) is that the 

 supply of information is greater than the demand. In a 

 few instances, this is not the case ; and Dr. Williams 

 is one of the few fortunate ones who has brought out a 

 cheap, thoroughly good, and even attractive hand- 

 book, which can hardly fail to be highly appreciated. 

 A Manual of Elementary Microscopical Manipula- 

 tion, by T. Charters White (London : Roper and 

 Drowley). It is pleasant to find we have nailed Mr. 

 White at last. Nobody likes a bit of fun more than 

 he ; and he doubtless enjoyed our ascription of 

 microscopical authorship to him, a few months ago, 

 amazingly. We had to recant — as all honest men 

 have (rogues never do !). But is it not funny that Mr. 

 White should bring out a charming and altogether 

 most useful and necessary little book like the present, 

 just after we had lachrymally expressed our regret 

 at supposing he was an author ? Never mind all that. 

 This is just the book for young amateur microscopists 

 to order of their booksellers immediately. 



Living Lights, by Chas. F. Holder (London : 

 Sampson Low). A beautifully got up volume, abun- 

 dantly and artistically illustrated ; useful to the 

 naturalist as containing a summary of all the animals 

 and plants which give out phosphorescence in any 

 shape or form. 



Ants, Bees, Dragon-flies, Earwigs, Crickets, and 

 Flies, by W. Harcourt Bath. 



British Birds, by W. Harcourt Bath. 

 Silkworms, by E. A. Butler (London : Swan 

 Sonnenschein & Co). These are issues of the familiar 



" Young Collectors' series." Mr. H. Bath's "Dragon- 

 flies," &c, will be especially welcomed; and all are 

 good and cheap (one shilling each). 



Practical Geography for Schools, by Alfred Hughes 

 (Oxford : Clarendon Press). A new and important 

 method of teaching the subject, based on nine years' 

 trial at the Manchester Grammar School. 



A Treatise on Hydro-dynamics, by A. B. Basset, 

 Vol. I (Cambridge : Deighton, Bell, & Co.). Only 

 that our pages are devoted chiefly to natural history 

 subjects, we should have liked to dwell more ex- 

 tensively on the merits of this work to students of the 

 subject. Suffice it to say, that possibly there is not a 

 more exhaustive manual before the public. 



Elementary Text-Book of Physiography, by W. 

 Mawer (London : John Marshall). A handy, succinct, 

 and trustworthy little manual. 



Photography Simplified (London : Mawson & 

 Swan). This is the third edition of a thoroughly 

 practical treatise on the subject, for the use either of 

 professionals or amateurs. It contains useful hints to 

 beginners on the selection of apparatus, and on 

 general practice. 



The Medical Annual, 1 888 (Bristol: John Wright 

 & Co.). The enlarged bulk of this annual is sufficient 

 to indicate its practical success. It is now really a 

 work of reference to medical practitioners generally, 

 and contains essays on special subjects by a host of 

 recognised specialists, besides most useful summaries 

 of progress in treatment, pharmacy, etc. 



Year Book of the Scientific and Learned Societies of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, fifth annual issue (London : 

 Charles Griffin & Co.). This work becomes in- 

 creasingly useful and necessary with every yearly 

 volume. 



Geology, by Dr. Page, revised by Dr. Charles 

 Lapworth, 12th edition (Wm. Blackwood & Sons). 

 This is really LapworthV book, and not Page's, which 

 is a good job ; and we hope the publishers will 

 acknowledge the metamorphosed authorship in the 

 next edition. In its present form there is nothing 

 better in elementary geological literature. 



Introductory Text-Book to Zoology, by Dr. H. A. 

 Nicholson (Wm. Blackwood). This is the sixth 

 edition, revised and enlarged, of an elementary 

 manual of zoology than which we have seen nothing 

 better in Great Britain the last fifteen years. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE UNIONIDM. 



DURING the years 1 886 and 1887 I was enabled, 

 by means of exchange and otherwise, to examine 

 a considerable number of specimens of Anodons and 

 Unios from different localities. The study of this 

 group is very perplexing, owing to there being so 

 much variation in the form of the shells, so much 

 in fact that every British author seems to have taken 

 a different view of what is a species or a variety. 



