LITERARY NOTICES. 



703 



the steam engine in its relation to electricity. 

 There are four appendices on tests of irons, 

 ampere turn tables, detennination of sizes of 

 wire for armatures and field coils, and on the 

 calculation of belting. 



Two German Giants : Frederick the Great 

 AND Bismarck. By John Lord, D. D., 

 LL. D. New York : Fords, Howard & 

 Hulbert, 1894. Pp. 173. 



This is a brief account of the early years 

 of these statesmen, followed by a considera- 

 tion, more philosophical than historical, of 

 their careers. Frederick the Great as the 

 founder, and Bismarck as the builder, of the 

 German Empire, are the aspects in which 

 they appear, and while the author greatly 

 admires their wonderful statesmanship and 

 perseverance under the most overwhelming 

 difficulties, he finds them both, and more 

 especially Frederick, wanting in moral per- 

 ception. He explains this by their absorb- 

 ing ambition and love of country which led 

 them to adopt that most dangerous of mot- 

 toes, that the end justifies the means. A 

 character sketch of Bismarck by Bayard 

 Taylor, written in 1887, is given, and also 

 Bismarck's great speech on the enlargement 

 of the German army in 1888. The book 

 contains portraits of both Frederick and 

 Bismarck. 



Elementary Paleontology for Geological 

 Students. By Henry Woods, B. A., 

 F. G. S. New York : Macmillan & Co., 

 1893. Pp. 222. 



This little book, which gives an elemen- 

 tary account of invertebrate paleontology, 

 is one of a valuable series, the Cambridge 

 Natural Science Manuals, which are edited 

 by A. E. Shipley, M. A. The author has de- 

 voted most of his space to the treatment of 

 those groups of fossil animals which are 

 especially useful to the geologist, and but 

 briefly considered those of interest mainly to 

 the zoologist. The author thus describes his 

 method of treating the subject : " My plan 

 has been to give, in each group, first an ac- 

 count of its general zoological features with 

 a full description of the hard parts ; second- 

 ly, the classification and characters of those 

 genera Avhich are important geologically; 

 and, thirdly, a sketch of the present and past 

 distribution of the group." For the use of 

 those who wish to obtain a more extended 



knowledge of the subject, there is appended 

 a list of some of the more important and 

 easily accessible works on paleontology. 



American Types of Animal Life. By St. 

 George Mivart, F. R. S. Boston : Littlt, 

 Brown & Co. Hlustrated. Pp. 374. 

 Price, $2. ^ 



A SERIES of sketches of the various 

 groups of animals which are either peculiar 

 to America or have their most typical repre- 

 sentatives here. It is intended to serve as an 

 introduction to zoology, more particularly to 

 the vertebrata, and more especially the mam- 

 malia. The first animals considered are the 

 monkeys, to which thirty-five pages, contain- 

 ing several pictures, are devoted. The rarer 

 and more striking forms are especially dealt 

 with, and several amusing and instructive 

 anecdotes related. Next comes the opossum, 

 which is of peculiar interest to us, as it is a 

 form of marsupial found only in America. 

 It has been much studied by the zoologist 

 and geologist, because of its isolation from 

 other marsupials, and is considered an impor- 

 tant link in the evidence which connects the 

 South American continent with Australia, as 

 well as one of the many things indicating a 

 close relationship between North America 

 and the Europe of Tertiary times. 



The turkey forms the subject of the third 

 essay. He is so peculiarly an American in- 

 stitution, and, so far as we know, always has 

 been, that, aside from his value as an edible, 

 he deserves careful consideration. That this 

 was appreciated so far back as Revolutionary 

 times is shov^Ti by the fact that he was pro- 

 posed as the national symbol by Franklin. 

 The following extract is interesting in rela- 

 tion to the turkey's identification with holi- 

 day occasions : 



'' In 1666 twelve of these birds were pre- 

 sented to the French king Charles IX ; and 

 the first record of its appearance at a state 

 banquet was at his wedding four year's later. 

 Soon after that it seems to have become 

 common in England, and already to have 

 found its place as a family dish at Christmas 

 dinners." 



The next twenty-five pages are about 

 the bullfrog and his relations. The author 

 speaks of him as follows : " The frog has 

 special claims to our gratitude and com- 

 miseration on accoimt of all it has done and 



