LITERARY NOTICES. 



in 



The Davenport (Iowa) Academy of Sci- 

 ences has sent us its first volume of " Pro- 

 ceedings," forming a neatly-printed book 

 of 285 pages and 86 plates. Besides the 

 records of meetings, catalogues of cabinet, 

 etc., a large number of papers are included, 

 which, although local in their nature, are 

 yet of much general interest. Davenport is 

 so situated as to afford many advantages to 

 the student of Nature. The underlying 

 limestone abounds in fossils of the Hamil- 

 ton and Upper Helderberg groups ; the riv- 

 ers and ponds produce a remarkably fine 

 development of molluscan life ; while the 

 close proximity of the prairies to the wood- 

 ed bottom-lands affords a rich field for the 

 botanist and the entomologist. This region 

 was once the residence of a prehistoric 

 people, who have left many obscure traces 

 behind them, furnishing an abundance of 

 material for the arehasologist to ponder 

 over. Among the essays are several re- 

 ports of explorations of mounds at Albany, 

 Illinois, and in the vicinity of Davenport, 

 by Dr. R. J. Farquharson, and other archae- 

 ological papers by C. Lindley, A. S. Tiffany, 

 and J. D. Putnam ; geological papers by 

 W. H. Piatt ; botanical matter by Dr. C. C. 

 Parry, J. G. Ilaupt, and J. J. Nagel ; lists 

 of insects of Iowa and Utah, by J. D. Put- 

 nam ; and studies upon land and fiesh-wa- 

 ter shells, by W. H. Pratt. This first vol- 

 ume is very creditable to the young Acad- 

 emy, and it is to be hoped a second similar 

 publication may soon follow. We observe, 

 by the-way, that it is published " for the 

 Academy by the Women's Centennial Asso- 

 ciation, and suggest that this would be 

 an excellent way for our many societies of 

 zealous women to spend their money in 

 oilier cities than Davenport. 



An Elementary Hand-book of Theoreti- 

 cal Mechanics, with One Hundred and 

 Forty-five Diagrams. Pp. 146. Price 15 

 cents. An Elementary Hand-book of 

 Applied Mechanics, with Eighty-eight 

 Diagrams. By William Rossiter, F. 

 R. A. S., F. C. S., F. R. G. S. New York : 

 Putnams. 



These two volumes form a mean be- 

 tween the commonly-received elementary 

 treatises on the subject and the more ad- 

 vanced works. While they are simple 

 enough for easy comprehension, they con- 

 tain many of the data necessary for an ad- 

 vanced student. 



Henry Holt & Co. are just putting to 

 press, in hope of having it ready by the end 

 of the year, a "Classical Literature" by C. 

 A. White, whose " Mythology " has been 

 received with much favor. The book will 

 contain biographical and critical notices of 

 the leading writers in Sanskrit, Greek, and 

 Latin, with specimens of their works, and 

 some account of the relations of the lan- 

 guages. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED., 



The Germ-Theory of Disease. By J. 

 Maclagan, M. D. Pp. 266. London : Mac- 

 millan. 



The Functions of the Brain. By D. 

 Ferrier, M. D. Pp. 838. New York : Tut- 

 nams. Price, $3.50. 



The Carlyle Anthology. Selected by E. 

 Barrett. Pp. 396. New York: Holt & 

 Co. Price, $2. 



David and Anna Matson. By Abigail 

 Scott Duniway. Pp. 194. With Illustra- 

 tions. New York : S. R. Wells & Co. 

 Price, $2. 



Octavius B. Frothingham and the New 

 Faith. By E. C. Stedman. Pp. 50. New 

 York : Putnams. Price, 75 cents. 



An Alphabet in Finance. By Graham 

 McAdam. Pp. 230. Same publishers. 

 Price, $1.25. 



Modern Physical Fatalism. By T. R. 

 Birks. Pp. 311. London: Macmillan. 

 Price, $2.25. 



Geographical Surveys west of the One 

 Hundredth Meridian (Wheeler). III. Pp. 

 681. With Plates. Washington : Govern- 

 ment Printing-Office. 



Chemistry Theoretical and Practical. 

 Parts X. to XIV. Philadelphia: Lippin- 

 cott & Co. Price, 50 cents each. 



Proceedings of the Poughkeepsie Soci- 

 ety of Natural Sciences. Vol. I., Part I., 

 Pp. 150, 



Prometheus. Weekly Magazine. Vol. 

 I., No. 1. Pp. 28. New York: Charles 

 P. Somerby. Price, $3 per year. 



Proceeding's of the American Chemical 

 Society. Vol. I., No. 1. Pp. 80. NeT? 

 York : Trow & Co., printers. 



