LITERARY NOTICES. 



373 



The American Paleozoic Fossils : A Cat- 

 alogue of the Genera and Species, 

 with the Names of Authors, Dates, 

 Places of Publication, Groups of 

 Rocks in which found, and the Ety- 

 mology and Signification of the 

 Words, and an Introduction devoted 

 to the Stratigraphical Geology of 

 the Paleozoic Rocks. By S. A. Mil- 

 ler. Cincinnati, Ohio : The Author, 

 No. 8 W. Third Street, 1877. Pp. 253. 



We give this long title in full, as it ex- 

 plains in as few words as possible the scope 

 and contents of a very useful book. It is 

 a check-list of American Palaeozoic fossils, 

 but it is something more; and the added 

 features are those which will make it spe- 

 cially welcome to students and amateurs 

 who do not have access to large libraries 

 and collections. 



The labor of collecting and arranging 

 the materials for such a work is very great, 

 and will, we hope, be appreciated sufficient- 

 ly to reward the author in some degree for 

 his painstaking zeal. 



A paper on the " Construction of Sys- 

 tematic Names in Paleontology," by Prof. 

 E. W. Claypole, forms an important part of 

 the book. 



Serpent and Siva Worship. By Hyde 

 Clark, M. A. I., and C. S. Wake, M. A. I. 

 Edited by Alexander Wilder, M. D. 

 New York: J. W. Bouton. Pp. 48. 

 Price, 50 cents. 



These papers, reprinted from the Jour- 

 nal of the Anthropological Institute of Great 

 Britain, are examinations into the nature 

 of the worship of the serpent, with a view 

 to tracing its origin and connections, and 

 are important as contributions to the ma- 

 terial from which alone a philosophical 

 theory of sociology can be formulated. 

 The facts cited confirm Mr. Spencer's con- 

 clusions as to the intimate relations be- 

 tween ophiolatry and ancestor-worship. 



On a Scientific Course of Study. A "Paper 

 read before the State Teachers' Associa- 

 tion of Iowa, by Prof. C. E. Bessey. 

 Pp. 11. 



This seems to be in some measure an 

 effort to reconcile the antagonism between 

 the languages and science as means of cult- 

 ure. 



The author is not disposed to underrate 

 the importance of the sciences, and makes 



some excellent remarks as to the methods 

 of teaching them to the young ; the necessity 

 of beginning the science-teaching early ; and 

 also as to the value of the languages as tools 

 for the scientific man. But he seems to miss 

 the real question at issue in the " conflict." 

 It is not " What kind of training is best to 

 produce a scientific specialist ? " but " What 

 are the relative claims of the study of lan- 

 guage and of natural science in giving the 

 discipline and culture which will be useful 

 in the ordinary walks of life? " Upon this 

 point we would refer Prof. Bessey to Prof. 

 Bain's article on " Language-Culture and 

 the Civil Service," in the December number 

 of The Popular Science Monthly. 



I. Proceedings of the Davenport Acade- 



my of Natural Sciences. Vol. II., 

 Part 1. Davenport, Iowa. Pp. 148. 

 Price, $3. 



II. Proceedings of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History. Vol. XVIII., Part 

 4. Boston. Pp. 104. 



The first of the above volumes is largely 

 taken up with records of the business meet- 

 ings of the Davenport Academy, its con- 

 dition, etc., interspersed with some papers 

 of interest. The majority of these are 

 archaeological, being descriptive of mounds 

 and their contents, illustrated by several 

 fine photographic plates of inscribed tab- 

 lets. Iowa is rich in these relics of the 

 mound-builders, and there is a fitness in the 

 Academy devoting itself to a study of these 

 remains, which are fast disappearing. 



The Boston " Proceedings " is filled with 

 the results of more steady-going, thorough 

 work, as might be expected from its greater 

 age, and its locality in a centre where scien- 

 tific men congregate. The table of contents 

 includes papers on " The Origin of the Do- 

 mestic Sheep," by G. W. Bond ; " Genetic 

 Relations of Stephanoceras," by Prof. A. Hy- 

 att; " Reptiles and Batrachians from the Isth- 

 mus of Panama," by S. W. Garman ; " Notes 

 on Noctuae from Florida," by A. R. Grote. 



Ninth Annual Report on the Noxious, 

 Beneficial, and other Insects of the 

 State of Missouri. By Charles V. 

 Riley, State Entomologist. Jefferson 

 City, 1877. Pp. 130. 



This continuation of Prof. Riley's labors 

 in the field in which he has become so well 

 known covers observations on the currant, 



