HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



27 



associations of this kind ! It is a right and a good 

 thing not to allow these old-world beliefs concerning 

 the ascribed virtues, &c, of plants to die out. Con- 

 sequently we warmly welcome the handsome volume 

 before us, in which the myths, traditions, superstitions, 

 and folk-lore of the vegetable kingdom are fully 

 worked out. The author is also the printer of the 

 book — so that it is everything the book-lover can 

 wish as regards type, woodcuts, paper, &c. More- 

 over, the fact lends additional point to the remarks 

 already made concerning the contributions made by 

 British industry to British science. Mr. Folkard has 

 the charm of an interesting and clear style, as was 

 unavoidable from the thorough manner in which he 

 is interpenetrated with his subject. His book 

 displays much learning and research, and it is both 

 pleasant to read, and useful to refer to. 



Origin of Cultivated Plants, by Alphonse de 

 Candolle (London : Kegan Paul & Co.). This is 

 another of the now famous "International Scientific 

 Series," and it is also one of the most important, 

 both on account of the high scientific rank of its 

 author, and the importance and interest of the 

 subject-matter. The latter is almost as much archaeo- 

 logical and historical as it is botanical and horticul- 

 tural ; for many of the most important of our food- 

 plants have their origin lost in the mists of anti- 

 quity, just as the races of mankind are. Prof, de 

 Candolle only deals with the plants useful as food, 

 he leaves out the medicinal kinds. With wondrous 

 patience and learning, he has traced the history of 

 some plants for thousands of years back, and shown 

 how their culture was carried on at different epochs. 

 At the same time he points out, that three out of four 

 of the original homes of cultivated plants (as indicated 

 by Linnaeus) are wrong. Nevertheless, these have 

 been continuously repeated by subsequent authors, 

 who will now have a better authority to appeal to. 



Leisure Time Studies, Chiefly Biological, by Andrew 

 Wilson, Ph.D. (London : Chatto & Windus). This 

 is the third edition of a series of essays and lectures, 

 whose literary success is proved by the fact, that their 

 republication is thus constantly called for. Dr. 

 Wilson has a very quiet but effective way of telling 

 what he has to say, which charms his readers into 

 following him from essay to essay. Some of these 

 (as that on corals, for instance) are models of how 

 much information can be clearly and effectively 

 packed into so small a space. The last essay on 

 science and poetry rises to a lofty expression of 

 poetical feeling, and its perusal would be a complete 

 answer to those who imagine that science and poetry 

 are antagonistic to each other. 



Effie and Her Strange Acquaintances, by the Rev. 

 John Crofts, M.A. (Chester : Phillipson & Golder). 

 After reading this delightful child's book ourselves, 

 we subjected it to the criticism of a little book -worm 

 of ten years old, who has read it four times through ! 

 This will be considered as a fair test of its readable 



character. The author has skilfully combined the 

 form of Kingsley's "Water-Babies" with Carroll's 

 " Alice in Wonderland," and has brought out a book 

 which plainly shows how much he loves both 

 children and flowers, or he could not intellectually 

 cater for them so attractively. 



The Geology of Weymouth, by Robert Damon 

 (London : Edward Stanford). This is a new and 

 enlarged edition of a very successful geological 

 handbook to a very attractive and highly fossiliferous 

 locality — a locality known to the author for many 

 years. The volume is beautifully got up, and well 

 illustrated ; and no naturalist, certainly no geologist, 

 ought to be without it who wishes to enjoy the feast 

 of fat things offered in our Southern English coasts. 



Natural History Sketches among the Carnivora, by 

 Arthur Nicols, F.G.S. (London: L. Upcott Gill). 

 The delightful freedom from any form of literary 

 stiffness which marks all this author's previous works 

 is evident in the present. It is a most attractive 

 volume, inside and out ; and the subject, although 

 to some extent a hackneyed one, is redeemed by the 

 graceful style of the author. 



The Speaking Parrots, by Dr. Karl Russ (London : 

 L. Upcott Gill). This is a nicely got up manual, 

 dealing with the habits, food, training, health, &c. of 

 this class of birds. We are frequently asked to 

 recommend a book of this kind, and we are there- 

 fore glad to draw attention to it, and to speak of it 

 as one which seems to fulfil all the requirements of 

 " A Manual of Talking Birds." 



The Universe of Suns, by R. A. Proctor (London : 

 Chatto & Windus). It requires only the announce- 

 ment of a new book by Mr. Proctor, for it to be 

 read. The present volume consists of a series of 

 essays, chiefly relating to solar and planetary 

 astronomy, and embracing earthquakes and volcanic 

 phenomena, and even social subjects, all discussed in 

 that terse and elegant English of which the author is 

 so skilled a master. It is a most delightful book to 

 read. 



The Story of a Great Delusion, by William White 

 (London : E. W. Allen). A nicely printed, and 

 altogether attractively got up book. The literary 

 contents are about as hopeless a jumble as we ever 

 saw in print, and a believer in vaccination could not 

 desire to inflict a more refined act of cruelty upon an 

 anti-vaccinator than oblige him to read the present 

 volume right through. 



Rabbits, by R. O. Edwards (London : W. Swan 

 Sonnenschein & Co.). A handy little manual on 

 this perennial subject, as useful to the amateur as to 

 the professional rabbit-keeper, with full and minute 

 details relating to everything which concerns the 

 well-being of these familiar pets. 



List of British Vertebrate Animals, by Francis P. 

 Pascoe (London : Taylor & Francis). All British 

 naturalists should procure this most useful and 

 compact little manual. It will save much time, and 



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