1898] SOME NEW BOOKS 347 



Mr Reid, the less restraining portion of the population should be in 

 the majority through elimination, of those practising restraint. But, 

 in spite of any such elimination man, compared to oilier animals, has 

 advanced enormously in regard to the acquired character of functional 

 restraint. 



But Mr Reid says "if acquired characters are transmissible, pro- 

 hibition is undoubtedly right." That cannot he endorsed; because if 

 there were prohibition there would be no training in the exercise of 

 personal restraint, the power to exercise restraint in necessary cases 

 would he lost, and the last state would he worse than the first. 



It is impossible to touch more than the fringe of such a question 

 as alcoholism. But one thing may be said — the best forms of temper- 

 ance legislation would be — (1) rigidly carried out enactments against 

 food and drink adulteration ; (2) nationalization of education. 



s. s. buckman. 



Radiation 



Radiation. By H. H. Francis Hyndman, with a preface l>y Prof. Sylvanus P. 

 Thompson, pp. xviii + 307. London: Swan Sonnenschein. 1898. 



RADIATION links together the principal branches of Physics. It is on 

 this account difficult to obtain a connected view of the subject by a 

 perusal of the ordinary text-books. Mr Hyndman's treatise is, there- 

 fore, very welcome. After a brief introduction mainly on wave- 

 motion the author discusses vibrations in matter, in the ether, and 

 lastly, those vibrations such as the Cathode, Rontgen Rays, etc., the 

 nature of which is not yet definitely known. The advanced student 

 will find the book useful, both intrinsically and on account of the 

 copious list of references ; whilst it is sufficiently elementary to be 

 intelligible to a larger class of readers with but a slight knowledge of 

 Physics. A few slips have been noticed. The explanation of the 

 sound of organ-pipes and other wind-instruments given on p. 20 is 

 not correct ; there is little motion of translation in such instruments, 

 as anyone, who has tried to sound a horn by blowing down it, knows. 

 Again, on p. 130, possibly owing to an error of copying, ' biaxial ' has 

 been substituted for ' uniaxial.' It is certain uniaxial crystals which 

 rotate the plane of polarisation when polarised light is transmitted 

 parallel to the optic axis. These small blemishes do not detract from 

 the merits of this interesting book. 



"O 



The Library of the Dresden Museum 



I)i; A. B. Meyer has caused to be compiled a Catalog der Handbiblio- 

 thek des Kdniglichen Zoologischen und Anthropologiseh-Ethnograph- 

 ischen Museums in Dresden, alphabetical and systematic. The volume 

 is an octavo of xxiv., 288 pages, and is issued by the Museum. The 

 entries are brief and recognisable, though not bibliographic, and the 

 serials and publications of academies fall into one alphabet with the 

 authors. The subject indexes should be of much use to readers, especi- 

 ally the ethnographical, which is arranged under countries. 



