566 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



reason. The executed work of Rosmini was 

 terminated at this period ; but he left notes 

 from which it appears that he had intended 

 to treat of four other periods, each marked by 

 the development or perfecting of its pecul- 

 iar faculties. We miss much by not having 

 the completion of a work so well planned, 

 but, " fortunately, the earlier part, which is 

 preserved to us, contains the fundamental 

 principles both of method and practice, 

 which remain the same for all periods of 

 life, and of which only the application va- 

 ries with the varying degrees of individual 

 development." 



Text-Book or Zoology ; for Junior Stu- 

 dents. By Henry A. Nicholson, Regius 

 Professor of Natural History in the Uni- 

 versity of Aberdeen. Fourth edition. 

 New York : D. Appleton & Co. Pp. 

 888. Price, $1.60. 



Professor Niciiolson introduces the 

 study of animals by some general consider- 

 ations of the scope of zoology, the condi- 

 tions of life, classification, and the distri- 

 bution of animals in space and in time. 

 The present edition of the work has been 

 thoroughly revised and brought up to the 

 present standard of zoological knowledge. 

 Recent additions to our acquaintance with 

 the existing or extinct fauna of the world 

 have been noticed in the text, and some 

 fresh illustrations have been added. The 

 scope of the work does not allow space for 

 long descriptions of extinct animals, but 

 those whose characteristics throw light on 

 the relations of living species are briefly 

 described. The definitions of important di- 

 visions are printed in italics, and the book 

 is copiously illustrated. A glossary and an 

 index are appended. 



Watson's Phonographic Instructor. By 

 John Watson. New York and London: 

 G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 144. 



The chief peculiarities in the method of 

 teaching Pitman's phonography, which is 

 embodied in this manual, are that vowel- 

 placing and reading are postponed until 

 considerable speed has been attained in 

 writing the consonant outlines of words. 

 When this point has been reached, the au- 

 thor claims that the pupil has become so 

 well acquainted with word -forms that he 

 can read the bulk of his writing without 



vowels. The pupil is then taught to place 

 a vowel-mark here and there where it will 

 do the most good, until he learns to use as 

 many vowels as a reporter must use. Ability 

 to read comes almost insensibly. A key to 

 exercises occupies twenty-four pages of the 

 volume, and several other pages are devoted 

 to model outlines, contractions, and select 

 phrases, but the author deems reading-les- 

 sons useless. 



Railway Practice: Its Principles and 

 Suggested Reforms Reviewed. By E. 

 Porter Alexander. Pp. 60. Price, 

 75 cents. The Interstate Commerce 

 Act : An Analysis of its Provisions. 

 By John R. Dos Passos. New York: 

 G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 125. Price, 

 $1.25. 



Both of these books belong to the 

 " Questions of the Day " series. The essay 

 of Mr. Alexander appears to have been pre- 

 pared with especial reference to Mr. T. F. 

 Hudson's book and the articles of Mr. Ely 

 on railroad questions, and to the Reagan 

 bill. The three solutions offered by these 

 persons disagreeing radically in principle, 

 and being also at odds with the methods of 

 reform which the railway managers them- 

 selves have instituted, there is some confu- 

 sion in the premises from which the different 

 parties start. The author's effort is to find 

 means for removing the confusion. Thero 

 must be a few principles at least settled by 

 actual test and put beyond question or dis- 

 pute to constitute what we might call the 

 present state of the science of railway man- 

 agement. He therefore takes up the most im- 

 portant questions of railway management, 

 and examines them in the light of those 

 principles. Mr. Dos Passos gives in his 

 book a systematic and detailed analysis of 

 the provisions of the Interstate Commerce 

 Act, preceded by a history of legislation on 

 the subject, and supplemented by the text 

 of the act itself. His exposition is as lucid 

 as the law, which is far from being free 

 from obscurities, will permit a commentator 

 to make it. 



A New Basis for Chemistry : A Chemical 

 Philosophy. By Thomas Stehry Hunt, 

 M.A., LL. D. (Cantab.). Boston: Samuel 

 E. Cassino. Pp. 165. 



Fhom time to time since 1848 the author 

 has been publishing portions of a theory of 



