March 1, 1SGS.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



59 



A BUNDLE OF BOOKS. 



THE topmost of the pile of books on the natu- 

 ralist's table just now, and we doubt not of 

 many others, is Mr. Charles Darwin's new work 

 on "Animals and Plants under Domestication," 

 just published in two volumes. At present that is 

 all we know of it, aud hence cannot be expected to 

 enlighten others. 



Wholesome Fake ; or, The Doctor and the 

 Cook. By E. S. and E. J. Delamere (Lockwood & 

 Co.), is a thick volume of nearly S00 pages devoted 

 to the very important subject of good food and how 

 to cook it. Cookery books and " Family Doctors " 

 are usually a most uninteresting kind of literature, 

 but herein is an exception. Although fried puff- 

 balls, champignons, and other savoury fungoid 

 delicacies are omitted, there are plenty of others, 

 and no physician could give a better prescription 

 to secure health than " Wholesome Fare." 



Coleopteba Hesperidtjm, being an enumeration 

 of the Coleopterous Insects (Beetles) of the Cape 

 Verde Archipelago. By T. Vernon Wollaston (Van 

 Voorst). This is successor and companion to its 

 author's enumeration of the Beetles of the Madeiras, 

 Salvages, and Canaries, and is a valuable contribu- 

 tion to entomological literature. The introductory 

 remarks on distribution are interesting and useful, 

 and almost every species is followed by practical 

 observations which those will best appreciate for 

 whom the work is designed— viz., the scientific 

 students of this branch of entomology. It does not 

 profess to be a popular, but undoubtedly it is a 

 sterling scientific work, for which the name of its 

 author is sufficient guarantee. 



The Naturalist's Note Book has completed 

 its first volume, and is a judicious selection of tit- 

 bits relating to natural history from the literature of 

 the day. The mistake which commences its second 

 volume is unfortunate, but cannot pass unnoticed. 



Organic Philosophy, Vol. II., Outlines of 

 Ontology, by Hugh Doherty, M.D. (Triibner & 

 Co.) is far beyond our comprehension. We have 

 read as far as this : — ■ 



"Within the limits of our monocosmic solar 

 system, we have to study secondary groups of 

 pericosmic orbs, single globes or comets, and the 

 subordinate realms of nature upon the crust of an 

 individual planet. To these degrees of secondary 

 subdivision we may apply the words pericosmics, 

 orbicosmics, and epicosmics. The general denomi- 

 nations of cosmics and hypocosmies are subdivided 

 in the following manner : 



6. Pancosmics. 

 5. Nebulocosmics. 

 4. Galactocosmics. 

 3. Zodiacosmics. 

 2. Polycosmics. 

 1. Monocosmics. 



Cosmics 



f 3. Pericosmics. 



Hypocosmies ... •; 2. Orbicosmics. 



[_ 1. Epicosmics. 



Orbicosmic is a hybrid term, but asterocosmic or 

 planetocosmic would not be sufficiently definite." 



When our author publishes a new Dictionary of 

 the English Language with his own additions, we 

 may try by its aid to read his book. It's of no use 

 trying now — we can't do it. 



ANTS. 



IN the second volume of the Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine Mr. Frederick Smith gave a 

 list "of the species of Ants known to inhabit this 

 country. Some of these have from time to time 

 been alluded to in these pages. The writer of the 

 article in question states that in 1851 only eighteen 

 species were numbered as British, whilst, in 1865, 

 there were ascertained to be thirty-two. First and 

 foremost is the " Wood-ant " {Formica rufa), of 

 which we give an illustration from Professor 

 Blauchard's work on the " Metamorphoses of 

 Insects," noticed in our last number. (See also 

 Science-Gossip for 1S66, p. 150.) 



Then follow eleven other species of the same 

 genus, of which six are generally distributed, and 

 five are local. Of the former is the " Mining Ant " 

 (Formica cunicularia)'; the "Ash-coloured Ant" 

 (Formica fused) ; the "Jet Ant" (Formica fulgi- 

 nosa), which nests in decaying trunks of trees, &c. ; 

 the " Garden Ant " (Formica nigra) ; the " Red- 

 brown Ant" (Formica umbrata), which, together 

 with the "Yellow Ant" (Formica flava), raises 

 little hillocks in the ground. 



Then follow the two species of Tapinoma, which 

 are local, and two species of Ponera. These are 

 succeeded by five species of Myrmica, of which 

 three are said to be generally distributed. Almost 

 all the rest are local. One of the best abused is 

 the " House Ant " (Diplorhoptrum molesta), which 

 makes itself too much at home in many London 

 houses. Of this little creature a graphic account 

 is contained in our first volume (1S65, p. 170), and 

 in the second volume (1S66, p. 272), Mr. W. E. 

 Shuckard continues the theme. Recently, others 

 have written, not long articles, but imploring para- 

 graphs, begging to be relieved, by any means, from 

 the incursions of the "House Ant." 



This reminds us, not only of the "Agricultural 

 Ant," of which Dr. Lincecum has given such an 

 interesting account, but also of the " Sauba Ant," 

 which our friend H. W. Bates has almost immor- 

 talized in his "Naturalist on the Amazons;" and 

 hence we pass into a dream of ant histories and 

 ant stories, and whatever scores of naturalists and 

 travellers have written about ants, between the 

 days of Solomon and our own. 



