HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE-G OSSIP. 



Ill 



larger, with sometimes a little sea breaking. Its 

 history is pretty nearly identical, for it likewise has 

 been raised by a violent volcanic outbreak, that on the 

 ivest has erected some imposing columnar rocks ; 

 later on, it has had a rim with receding caverns in- 

 cised round it by the wash of the waves, and again it 

 has been further raised so as to expose this planed 

 ledge. Human occupation at a subsequent period is 

 indicated by some Celtic barrows, the ruins of an 

 ancient shrine, and a square embattled castle placed 

 on a reef of rocks at the water's side. Crowning the 

 highest point stands a disused lighthouse, from 

 which a broken stone, engraved D. P. 791, was once 

 poked out. But this, as I learnt, local archnsologists 

 consider a counterpart to the famous " Bil Stumps, 

 his mark." It, however, has puzzled them not a little, 

 as the lighthouse was erected before 1791. Numerous 

 trees, plants, and insects populate the crags ; but 

 what struck me as most singular was the presence of 

 a green grasshopper {Stenobothrus viriduliis) incapable 

 of flight, whose advent on this exposed island must 

 have had in it somewhat the zest of an adventure. 

 Did its remote ancestor arrive in a Celtic coracle, or 

 on a log at the close of the glacial days ? Interesting 

 in relation to the migration of sea-shells, I might men- 

 tion a chronological curiosity I obtained during my 

 excursions ; namely, a specimen of the common 

 honey-coloured Littorina littoralis, which an acquaint- 

 ance picked from the cement when scrambling over 

 the old castle ; this shell, coeval with the ruin, ap- 

 parently did not e.xist here during the days of ice. 



A. H. SWINTON. 



NOTES ON NEW BOOKS. 



T JFE, Letters, and Journals of Sir Charles Lyell, 

 J ^ Bart. 2 vols. (London : John Murray). No 

 better or pleasanter means of becoming familiar with 

 the history and progress of geological discovery could 

 be adopted, by those of our readers who are inter- 

 ested in this subject, than to procure these volumes. 

 The biography of Sir Charles Lyell is indissolubly 

 bound up with the history of the science he did so 

 much to develope. The above work is edited by Sir 

 Charles's sister-in-law, and is composed of many 

 pleasantly-written letters, collected from friends and 

 relations, most of them written by Sir Charles under 

 the stimulancy of fresh scenery, or visits to famous 

 geological sections, or to celebrated geologists. These 

 letters are just sufficiently pieced together by an 

 autobiographical or biographical connection to 

 make the life complete. We have been charmed 

 with every page ; there is not a dreary paragrapli in 

 the book ; and every one will feel the better for the 

 inner acquaintance it gives us of an earnest, pure- 

 minded, tender-hearted, scientific enthusiast. 



Nordenskiold' s Voyage round Asia and Enrope, by 

 A. Hovgaard (London : Sampson Low & Co.). This 



is a popular and very pleasant translation from the 

 Danish of Nordenskiold's famous north-east passage, 

 written by one of the lieutenants of the expedition. 

 It is impossible that a more detailed and interesting 

 account of that voyage could have been penned, for, 

 although we do not get much dry science in this 

 work, such as we naturally expect from Norden- 

 skiold's own book, there is sufficient to flavour the 

 narrative very pleasantly. The history of former 

 attempted north-east passages is clearly and succinctly 

 written ; the sketches of the peoples among whom 

 our adventurers wintered, are most amusing and 

 instructive ; the various little adventures, none of 

 them fortunately of a serious character, are related 

 with much gusto. As a history of the north-east 

 passage this book is completer perhaps, for general 

 readers, than a more accurately technical, scientific 

 account would have been. It is a book not likely 

 to be left half read. 



Freaks and Marvels of Plant Life, by Dr. M. C. 

 Cooke, M.A, (London : S. P. C. K.). This is an 

 attractive volume in every respect, written by a man 

 whose name will at once command the attention of 

 all readers of Science- Gossip. Moreover, the 

 writer is on his own ground, and he is engaged in a 

 work he loves, viz., trying to interest others in the 

 wonders of that vegetable kingdom he has spent a 

 successful life in exploring. The title page hardly 

 bears out the fullness and thoroughness of the lucid 

 investigations to which this charming book is devoted. 

 All the recent philosophical views respecting botany, 

 and hosts of new discoveries of every kind relating to 

 that science, are here plainly set forth. The illustra- 

 tions are numerous, and generally good, and the 

 Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge are to be 

 congratulated on the improved, deeper, and broader 

 tone of the few scientific books they are bringing out. 



Miscellanies of Animal Life, by Elizabeth Spooner 

 (London : S.P.C.K.). This is a book of another kind ; 

 a sort of natural history sausage, full of zoological 

 scraps (illustrated), all of them interesting, but 

 making up a pretty little book which can hardly be 

 called scientific. Still, as a cheap gift-book, it is a 

 great improvement on the meaningless old "goody- 

 goody." 



Geology of the Counties of England and Wales, 

 by W. J. Harrison, F.G.S. (London : Kelly & Co.). 

 We sincerely compliment Mr. Harrison on producing 

 a good and much required work of geology, which 

 will save a student, not only much personal research 

 and time, but put him on the track of almost every- 

 thing geological which England and Wales can offer 

 to him. Not only have we here a clear outline of the 

 geology of every English and Welsh county, illus- 

 trated by sections, characteristic fossils, &c., but a 

 list of the papers and other works published thereon, 

 as well as a reference to the museums where the 

 chief collections of each county may be seen and 

 studied. Mr. Harrison has boiled down something 



