HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GO S SI P. 



149 



rely on the assistance of the first brood to lighten 

 their cares when some new brothers and sisters 

 appear. H. H. C. 



A GOSSIP ABOUT NEW BOOKS. 

 rpHE dulness of the last few months of the pub- 



JL 



lishing season has been relieved by the issue 



of a two-volumed work which cannot fail to mark 

 an epoch in the rapid progress of Natural 

 History. No other living man than the author was 

 so fit for the difficult task he has so admirably at- 

 tempted. And, although there are weak places in 

 the work, where the hypothesis seems scantily sup- 

 ported by facts, we must remember that in an 

 undertaking of this kind, extending over such a 

 wide area, such a liability is certain. We allude to 

 "The Geographical Distribution of Animals," by 

 Alfred Russel Wallace (London : Macmillan & Co.). 

 This well-known author, famous for hitting upon 

 the theory of Natural Selection at the same time 

 as Darwin, and honoured for the chivalric way in 

 which he withdrew his claim to priority in favour of 

 that great naturalist, has here given us the most 

 important work of his life. The amount of re- 

 search contained in the two bulky volumes before 

 us is as marvellous as the methodical clearness with 

 which the material is arranged. The present distri- 

 bution of animals — one of the most fascinating of 

 the many collateral branches of natural history — 

 is here considered in relation to both living and 

 extinct faunas, so as to elucidate the past geo- 

 logical changes which have been rung over the 

 earth's surface. The work is illustrated by nume- 

 rous specially-composed maps, and also by many 

 admirable full-page plates, showing characteristic 

 groups of living animals, set in a framework of 

 equally characteristic scenery. The main idea of 

 the present book was hinted at by the author six- 

 teen years ago. What he then did for the Malayan 

 Archipelago he has now attempted for the whole 

 earth. As one reads chapter after chapter, and 

 perceives how the organic changes, which have 

 differentiated animals into species, have been fre- 

 quently accompanied by physical, geographical, or 

 climatal changes in the surroundings, we cannot 

 but be impressed with the magnitude of the modern 

 views which the new school of natural history and 

 geology has given to the world. With Mr. 

 Wallace's style of writing, those who have 

 read his "Malayan Archipelago" will be ac- 

 quainted ; and no more can be said in praise of the 

 literary composition of the present work than that 

 it is equally attractive with the former. There is 

 a quiet earnestness pervading every page, which 

 does not allow of a single wasted or empty sen- 

 tence. It is indeed a grand book ; and although we 

 are somewhat disappointed the author has not said 

 anything about the distribution of Man, perhaps 



the large space which that alone would have re- 

 quired rendered it impossible. 



The second edition of " Animals and Plants under 

 Domestication," by Charles Darwin (London: 

 John Murray), has just made its appearance in two 

 volumes, uniform in size and appearance with the 

 recent works of this distinguished author. Here 

 is placed on record such a carefully-arranged cyclo- 

 paedia of facts relating to natural and artificial 

 selection, that no man can be said to be even ac- 

 quainted with the Darwinian theory who has not read 

 this work. In this edition a good many additional 

 facts are recorded, so that this important book is 

 now of greater use than ever as a work of reference. 



" Geology for Students and General Headers," 

 by Professor A. H. Green (London: Daldy, 

 Isbister, & Co.), is one of the most original 

 and generally exhaustive in treatment of any 

 manual that has been issued for many years past. 

 The present volume only deals with Physical 

 Geology, which, however, fills up a large book. 

 We are sorry the author thought it necessary to 

 give an outline of mineralogy, as it could only be 

 done in a very sketchy and unsatisfactory manner, 

 and ought now to be discussed, on the principle of 

 " division of labour," as subject-matter for a sepa- 

 rate work. Professor Green's illustrations and dia- 

 grams are nearly all original, and are very effective, 

 notably that on " How a mountain - chain is 

 not formed." No other geological work so 

 thoroughly treats on atmospherical denudation- 

 The portion of the work devoted to volcanoes is too- 

 brief, and ought [to be expanded. Por a student 

 who wishes to be something more than a book 

 geologist, who wants to be able to interpret natural 

 phenomena for himself, this is just the book to study. 



"The Rudiments of Geology," by Samuel Sharp,. 

 F.G.S., &c. (London : Edward Stanford & Co.), is 

 a well-printed, nicely got-up little manual on 

 elementary geology, which we can conscientiously 

 recommend for its trustworthy and well-arranged 



material. "Physical Geography," by W. D.. 



Cooley (London: Dulau & Co.), is a large and 

 important book, in which the author treats tha 

 subject from a point of view not usually discussed- 

 Physical geography is too often regarded as an 

 adjunct to, or even department of, geology ; 

 but Mr. Cooley studies it as the department of 

 science; which embraces the course of physics 

 reigning on the earth's surface, and of which 

 geography is a function. The various chapters 

 are fully worked out, and the student will here 

 find many subjects exhaustively treated, about 

 which it would be difficult to find general authori- 

 ties elsewhere. The astronomical relations of the 

 earth come in for their full share of description, and 

 the physics of the sea and air, as well as the 

 magnetic and electric phenomena which affect our 

 planet, are very ably and carefully worked out. We 



