HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OS SI P. 



41 



distinguished example. This is largely due to the 

 abundant high class literature on the subject, of 

 which the labours of the late Richard Proctor form 

 no small element. His Star Maps have long been in 

 use by amateur astronomers, which latter class has 

 been largely called into existence by means of the 

 highly-finished and low-priced telescopes turned out 

 by John Browning and others. The " Star Atlas " 

 before us contains eighteen maps, printed by E. A. 

 Funke, of Leipsic. They are exquisite examples of 

 star-mapping and star-grouping. The young as- 

 tronomer possessed of a telescope, will find this 

 atlas of the utmost service. The Rev. E. McClure's 

 translation is exceedingly lucid and interesting. 



Plafietafy and Stellar Studies, by John Ellard 

 Gore (London : Roper & Drowley). A well-printed 

 and attractively-got-up little volume, containing 

 papers which the author has contributed to various 

 periodicals, all of which, however, have been re- 

 written and brought up to date, in addition to six 

 chapters which have not appeared in print before. 

 The illustrations are unusually good, and altogether 

 we commend this work to the notice of all our 

 readers interested in astronomy. 



The Invisible Faivers of Nature, by E. M. Calliard 

 (London : John Murray). Perhaps there is no 

 scientific subject more repellent to the popular 

 mind than the study of physics ; in spite of the 

 education in the subject by the science classes under 

 South Kensington. Nevertheless, there are few 

 departments of research which present such fascinating 

 or practical results. The author's title is an excellent 

 one, and he works it out admirably, for it is the 

 " invisible powers " of nature which affect us more than 

 the "visible." So we have chapters on gravitation, . 

 molecular attraction, the properties of gases, liquids, 

 and solids, heat, light, colour, sound, electricity, and 

 magnetism. The writer tells us his book is intended 

 for readers who love to hear of wonderful things. 



Entomology for Beginners, by Dr. A. S. Packard 

 (New York: Henry Holt & Co.). Dr. Packard is 

 well known throughout the English-speaking countries 

 of the world as one of the best of living economic 

 entomologists, and this book cannot fail to add to 

 his fame as a popular writer on this important 

 subject. It is illustrated by nearly 300 excellent 

 woodcuts, and the author tells us he intended it "for 

 the use of young folks, fruit-growers, farmers, and 

 gardeners." The work gives a full description of the 

 structures of insects, their growth and metamor- 

 phosis, a synopsis of their classification, and of insect 

 architecture. Then we have a useful chapter on 

 insects injurious and beneficial to agriculture ; and a 

 lengthy but not less useful one, giving directions to 

 all sorts of beginners for collecting, preserving, and 

 rearing insects. Two other sections will be useful to 

 microscopists and biologists generally, for they deal 

 with the various methods of dissecting insects as well 

 as mounting them whole and cutting sections of them 



for microscopic examination. Mention should also 

 be made of the bibliography of the subject, which is 

 one of the fullest we have yet come across. To 

 complete the excellence of this admirable manual, 

 there is a lengthy glossary, and a copious index. 



The Bacon-Shakspeare Question, by C. Stopes 

 (London : T. G. Johnson). The " fad " of Donelly's 

 is over. The " cryptogram " went up like a rocket, 

 and came down like the stick. Many Shakspearean 

 scholars thought it beneath them to answer the 

 man ; but the authoress of this book very properly 

 imagined that silence might be construed into con- 

 sent. The consequence is a most valuable contri- 

 bution to Shakspearean literature, a useful and ready 

 manual to lovers of Shakspeare who have not time to 

 answer cavillers, and a valuable help to the student 

 of English literature. We cordially commend the 

 work. 



Latid and Freshwater Shells, by J. W. Williams, 

 J. W. Taylor, and W. Denison Roebuck (London : 

 Swan Sonnenschein & Co.). This is one of the 

 shilling volumes of the "Young Collector Series," 

 and the names of the authors are a guarantee for its 

 conchological accuracy and value. The illustrations 

 (thirty-four in number) and descriptions are excellent. 

 The " census " of the authenticated distribution of 

 these moUusca at the end of the volume, will be 

 found useful to others than " Young Collectors." 



A Classified Index of Mr. G. W. Silve)'s Collec- 

 tion of New Zealand Birds, by Sir Walter L. 

 Buller (London : E. A. Petherick). This very 

 handsomely-got-up and well-printed volume, with 

 descriptive notes of the New Zealand birds by 

 the one ornithologist who has best and longest 

 studied them — Sir W. L. Buller — is a useful 

 contribution to geographical ornithology. The ex- 

 cellent woodcuts are mainly borrowed from Sir 

 Walter's "Birds of New Zealand." Many of our 

 readers will remember the birds described in this 

 " Index," for they were exhibited at the " Colinderies," 

 in the New Zealand Court in 1886. 



A Class-Book of Elementary Chemistry, by W. W. 

 Fisher, M. A. (Oxford : Clarendon Press). Altogether 

 a superior manual, as one would expect from its 

 publishing source. It exhibits an unusual teaching 

 power, and a simplicity of classification rarely seen 

 in elementary works on this important subject. 

 Chemistry is now very properly becoming a part of 

 regular school work, and we can recommend no 

 better manual to the higher schools than this. 



Truth for its own Sake: The Story of Charles 

 Darwin (London : Swan Sonnenschein & Co.). 

 This charming little book is written by Mr. W. 

 Mawer, F.G.S., for "young people;" and the 

 latter could not have a simpler or more interesting 

 description of the great man than Mr. Mawer has 

 given them. 



Primer of Micro- Petrology, by W. Mawer (London : 

 Office of "Life-Lore"). We are frequently asked 



