74 



HARDWICKK S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



who so conscientiously endeavours to be as orthodox 

 in science as he evidently is in theology. 



A Text-Book of Field Geology, by W. H. Penning, 

 F.G.S., Geologist, H.M. Geological Survey of 

 England and Wales. We are very pleased to wel- 

 come this, the second edition of Mr. Penning's valu- 

 able work. It occupies a unique place in the varied 

 literature of geology. This new edition has been 

 revised and so considerably enlarged that it is almost 

 twice the bulk of the first edition. It is now a perfect 

 and complete manual and text-book of all that relates to 

 every department of physical geology. The section 

 on palaeontology, written by Mr. A. J. Jukes-Brown, 

 F.G.S., adds very considerably to the value of this 

 important work. 



A Monograph of Silurian Fossils of the Girvan 

 District in Ayrshire, by H. Alleyne Nicholson, 

 F.G.S., and Robert Etheridge, jun., F.G. S. (Edin- 

 burgh and London : William Blackwood & Sons.) 

 This is the second fasciculus of the work under- 

 taken by these two well-known palaeontologists on 

 the above subject, having special reference to the 

 Silurian fossils of the "Gray Collection." It is 

 occupied wholly with the Silurian Crustacea, dealing 

 very fully with the various genera of trilobites. The 

 five plates which illustrate this part contain some 

 exquisite lithographs of trilobites and allied crusta- 

 ceans. This work, when completed, will be a very 

 valuable addition to the palaeontological literature of 

 the older rocks. 



Erasmus Darwin, by Ernest Krause. (London : 

 John Murray.) We regard this work as a comple- 

 mentary contribution to the literature of Darwinism. 

 The fact that a life of the grandfather of the author 

 of the "Origin of Species" should after all this 

 lapse of time have his biography written first by a 

 German, indicates the deep interest which Germany 

 takes in the Darwinian philosophy. Until the last 

 few years we were better acquainted with Dr. Eras- 

 mus Darwin as the writer of certain lengthy poems, 

 such as the " Loves of the Plants," &c, which are 

 now very little read, but Herr Krause has here 

 shown by the frequent reference and review of Eras- 

 mus Darwin's books, which is included in this bio- 

 graphy, that many of his speculations were allied to 

 those of Lamarck. Indeed, we may say that in his 

 "Zoonomia" we find the undoubted germs of the 

 doctrine of Evolution. If so, Dr. Charles Darwin 

 stands in the position of having inherited many of 

 his peculiar views. It should be understood, how- 

 ever, that the theory of natural selection is entirely 

 due to the latter. The present biography contains a 

 preliminary notice by Mr. Charles Darwin of his 

 grandfather, which extends to such a length that Dr. 

 Darwin may be said to be a chief contributor to the 

 volume. This part is exceedingly pleasant reading. 

 Mr. W. S. Dallas has translated from the German all 

 the part written by Ernest Krause with his usual 

 ability. 



The Field Naturalist' s Handbook, by the Rev. J. G. 

 Wood and Theodore Wood. (London : Cassell & Co.) 

 A work of this kind has been very much wanted, 

 and we therefore welcome Mr. Wood's handbook 

 with much pleasure. In its compilation he has 

 been assisted by his son. The book contains 

 " general hints " for each month's collecting, and 

 then we get arranged under each month a catalogue 

 of the insects which are out and of their food plants, 

 as well as lists of eggs, the plants in blossom, and the 

 localities where they are to be sought. 



Botany for Children, by the Rev. George Henslow, 

 M.A., F.L.S. (London: Edward Stanford.) Here 

 is just such an elementary text-book of botany as 

 might be put into practical use in schools, without 

 the slightest doubt that children would take to it. 

 The lessons are so arranged as to be illustrated by 

 the dissection of some common plant selected from 

 each natural order. The style of teaching here ex- 

 hibited reminds us strongly of the zealous father of 

 the author, the late Professor Henslow. 



The Great Frozen Sea, by Capt. A. H. Markham, 

 R.N. (London : C. Kegan Paul & Co.) This is 

 the fourth and cheaper edition of the authoritative 

 account of the Arctic Expedition of 1875-6, Captain 

 Markham being commander of the " Alert" on that 

 occasion is consequently a first-rate guide to, and 

 commentator upon, the incidents of the voyage. 

 The book is very pleasant reading, and we are glad 

 to see it appear in its present cheap and attractive 

 form. 



Fourteen Months in Canton, by Mrs. Gray. (Lon- 

 don : Macmillan & Co.) The authoress of this 

 interesting book is the wife of Archdeacon Gray, 

 whose work on China, in two volumes, published 

 two years ago, excited so much interest. It consists 

 of a series of letters written home during a fourteen 

 months' residence in the city of Canton, and they 

 are of a very bright and chatty nature, frequently 

 sparkling with shrewd intelligence, and the work of 

 a highly intellectual woman. 



Ethnology ; or, the History and Genealogy of the 

 Human Race, by John Thomas Painter, jun. (Lon- 

 don : Bailliere, Tindall, & Cox.) The author of this 

 somewhat pompous title has a great deal to learn of 

 ethnology as a science, and this little book looks 

 more like a very literal commentary upon the earlier 

 part of the book of Genesis, flavoured with a little 

 reference to Assyrian, Babylonian, -Greek, and Chinese 

 history. We would earnestly recommend him, before 

 writing any more, to acquaint himself with the 

 various well-known manuals on the subject. 



Youth, its Care and Culture, by J. Mortimer- 

 Gran ville. (London : David Bogue.) We heartily 

 commend this little work to all those who have to 

 deal with the training of the young. It is full of 

 cheerful wisdom and earnest sympathy for those in 

 whose interests it has been written. 



