706 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



indicated in some cases), height of the land by 

 means of coloring, canals, battle-fields, eleva- 

 tion in feet of important towns, mountain 

 peaks and passes, and the limit of naviga- 

 tion in rivers. There are geological, rainfall, 

 population, industrial, and commercial maps 

 of the United States, and one showing terri- 

 torial growth, besides the general map of the 

 whole country, and one of the northeastern 

 part on a larger scale. To avoid overloading 

 the maps, names of unimportant places are 

 not printed on them, but such places may be 

 found by means of the index, in which their 

 locations are indicated. A sheet of astro- 

 nomical diagrams is prefixed to the maps, 

 and the volume has a thumb-index. 



A Manual of North American Butterflies. 

 Bv Charles J. Maynard. Boston: De 

 Wolfe, Fiske & Co. Pp. 226. Price, 



$1.50. 



Intending his book for the tyro as well 

 as for the advanced student, the author has 

 avoided the use of technical terms as far as 

 possible. He has also made his descriptions 

 as short as possible, and in the interest of 

 clearness has used the comparative method 

 wherever he could do so. The volume con- 

 tains ten hand-colored plates, on which one 

 species of nearly all the genera of North 

 American butterflies are figured, and wood- 

 cuts are inserted in the text showing some 

 peculiar character of about two hundred and 

 fifty more species, by which the insects may 

 be known. Both plates and woodcuts, with 

 one exception, have been drawn and engraved 

 by the author. The arrangement used is 

 that published by Mr. W. H. Edwards in 

 1884. 



The Rural Publishing Company, New 

 York, publish in their Rural Library a se- 

 ries of monthly issues of popular pamphlets 

 on scientific and practical topics in agricult- 

 ure and horticulture a well-studied paper 

 on Cross-breeding and Hybridizing, by L. H. 

 Bailey. It considers the philosophy of the 

 crossing of plants, with reference to their 

 improvement under cultivation, first sum- 

 marizing the results of the studies of Darwin 

 and other authors who have investigated the 

 subject; then setting forth the advantages 

 of crossing within the variety and change of 

 stock within ordinary bounds ; and, finally, 



going on to the summary production of new 

 varieties. This is a difficult and delicate 

 process, calling for the exercise of the great- 

 est skill and patience. The author records 

 several experiments of his own in the pro- 

 cess, all going to illustrate its uncertainty ; 

 and concludes: "Encourage in every way 

 crosses within the limits of the variety and 

 in connection with change of stock, expect- 

 ing increase in vigor and productiveness ; 

 hybridize if you wish to experiment, but do 

 it carefully, honestly, and thoroughly, and do 

 not expect too much." A valuable feature of 

 the publication is the copious bibliography of 

 the subject. 



A pamphlet comes to us from Italy dis- 

 cussing financial questions and reviewing the 

 situation in that country in particular, en- 

 titled II Baratto dei Biglietti di Banca fra gli 

 Istituti di Emissions e il Corso forzoso in 

 Italia (The Exchange of Bank-notes between 

 Institutions of Emission and Forced Circu- 

 lation in Italy), by the Avocato Francesco 

 Ciaffii. The author regards the financial 

 situation of his country as critical, and a 

 forced circulation as imminent. 



The periodical formerly known as The 

 Triangle now comes to us as Physical Educa- 

 tion, to which subject it is devoted. The 

 name of the company by which it is pub- 

 lished still remains the Triangle Publishing 

 Company, and the triangle denoting the 

 co-operation of body, spirit, and mind is 

 still the emblem of its school. It purposes 

 to publish chiefly original matter. We are 

 glad to observe it deploring the pushing of 

 records in special lines, refusing to hold up 

 in prominence those who succeed in doing 

 extraordinary work in any single line, and 

 declaring itself committed to all-round work. 

 It also expresses dissent with those who hold 

 that symmetry of bodily form is the great ob- 

 ject to be worked for, and with those who look 

 to bodily health as the end of their endeavors. 

 Symmetry of bodily form is an incidental 

 good, and bodily health is only one of the 

 objects to be pursued. 



Food is a new monthly publication devoted 

 to cookery, household economy, and good 

 living, including foods, dietetics, adultera- 

 tions, sanitation, regimen for the sick-room, 

 new domestic inventions, and all matters 

 of careful and healthful living, published by 

 the Clover Publishing Company, New York. 



