HARD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



107 



keepers, &c. The result is a valuable handbook of 

 the ornithology of Suffolk : a county whose sea 

 coast, estuaries, creeks, and rivers are annually 

 visited by numbers of the rarer aquatic birds. Much 

 of the work necessarily partakes of the character of a 

 catalogue, but the " notes " on any of the rarer birds 

 show how much care and trouble have been taken to 

 verify the facts. 



Studies in Life and Sense, by Dr. Andrew Wilson 

 (London : Chatto & Windus). This collection of 

 essays is readable in the highest degree. Dr. 

 Wilson's style is peculiarly his own : pleasant, flowing, 

 and philosophical. In some of these essays, the 

 reader will find an admirable summary of large 

 questions, such as "The Migrations of Animals," 

 "The Old Phrenology and the New," " What Dreams 

 are made of," " The Problems of Distributions," &c. 



A Voyage to the Cape, by W. Clark Russell 

 (London : Chatto & Windus). Mr. Russell is a 

 marine painter in words This book is full of the 

 salt sea breezes and spray ; and for people meditating 

 a voyage to the Cape, its perusal will be as much of 

 a pleasure as it will be a profit. 



Animal Anecdotes, by H. A. Page (London : 

 Chatto & Windus). A delightful book to read, and 

 even to think about. The anecdotes are arranged on 

 a new principle. Not long ago, anecdotes of animals 

 were arranged with a view to demonstrating how 

 mysterious instinct was. But now we believe in 

 such a principle as " Animal Psychology," and we are 

 doing our best to know something of the minds of 

 animals, as well as of their bodies. Mr. Page's 

 charming book will help us in that direction. 



Handbook of Historical Geology, by A. J. Jukes- 

 Brown (London : George Bell & Sons). This handy 

 vol. is a necessary companion to the same author's 

 "Handbook of Physical and Structural Geology," 

 published about three years ago. Possessed of these 

 two volumes, the earnest student finds ready worked 

 to his intellectual needs the views and theories in 

 every department of geology, as well as sketches of all 

 the chief discoveries. Mr. Jukes-Brown has obtained 

 a deserved reputation for the carefulness with which 

 he both ascertains and arranges his facts. As a 

 manual of geology alone, the present volume is a 

 valuable addition to geological literature. It gives 

 the student a bold and accurate sketch of the ancient 

 life of the globe, from the Azoic Era to the Icenian 

 System. 



Life-histories of Plants, by Professor D. McAlpine 

 (London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co.). These are 

 a series of careful studies, well illustrated, and 

 dealing entirely with the lower life of the vegetable 

 kingdom. The first and most extensive chapter 

 is devoted to the comparative study of plants and 

 animals on a physiological basis ; and the book is 

 worth buying for the sake of this chapter alone. The 

 book is beautifully got up. 



Text-Book of British Fungi, by W. Delisle Hay 



(London : Swan Sonnenschein & Co.). This is by 

 no means such a satisfactory book as Mr. Steven- 

 son's. Perhaps it is only fair to say that it does not 

 claim to be. It is rather intended as an elementary 

 introduction to the study of Fungi ; and the young 

 student who is approaching (and not exhausting) the 

 subject, will find it useful. The chapter on "The 

 Chemistry and Toxicology of Fungi," and that on 

 "The Cultivation of Certain Fungi," are valuable. 



Heroes of Science {Physicists), by Dr. William 

 Garnett (London: S. P. C. K.). This series is 

 commendable in every way. First, it is making 

 known to the public the noble lives lived by many 

 scientific men ; and secondly (as the volumes are 

 written by authors who are fully acquainted with their 

 subjects), they give in a clear manner a summarised, 

 but highly readable and instructive history of the 

 different sciences in which the "heroes" have 

 figured. Thus in the present vol. we have sketches 

 of the life and work of Robert Boyle, Franklin, 

 Cavendish, Rumford, Young, Faraday, and Clerk 

 Maxwell. 



The Proceedings of the Liverpool Literary and 

 Philosophical Society are always acceptable vols. We 

 have just received vols, xxxix. and xl., both con- 

 taining thoughtful and valuable papers, printed in 

 extenso. The greater part of vol. xl. is occupied 

 with the " First Report of the Fauna of Liverpool 

 Bay," contributed to by Dr. Herdman, Rev. H. H. 

 Higgins, Professor Milnes Marshall, J. D. Siddall, T. 

 Higgins, Dr. Hicks, Dr. Ellis, Mr. Harvey Gibson, 

 I. C. Thompson, F. P. Marrat, G. H. Fowler, R. D. 

 Darbishire, W. E. Hoyle, T. J. Moore, and others, 



Poets in the Garden, by May Crommelin (London : 

 T. Fisher Unwin). A beautifully got up book with a 

 lovely coloured frontispiece of hollyhocks. The 

 authoress has diligently collected from our best poets 

 all their best references to our garden flowers. 



British Cage Birds, by R. L. Wallace ; and Fancy 

 Pigeons, by I. C. Lyall (both published by L. 

 Upcott Gill). These are continuations of the ad- 

 mirable series of handbooks on pet and domesticated 

 animals which Mr. Upcott Gill has taken so much 

 trouble to bring out. They are nicely got up, and 

 are just the sort of gift-book to give a lad who is 

 fond of animals. 



Hours with a Telescope, by Capt. Noble (London : 

 Longmans). This is a reprint of the papers which 

 came out in "Knowledge," The young student of 

 astronomy cannot be recommended a better little 

 manual to begin to work with. 



Lunar Science, Ancient and Modem, by Rev. 

 Timothy Harley (London: Swan Sonnenschein & 

 Co.). A capital popular summary of all that is 

 known and taught about selenology. Microscopk 

 Fungi, by Dr. Cooke (London : W. H. Allen). 

 Words of commendation are needless about the 

 value of this little book. It has been too long 

 before the world for criticism to affect it ; so we 



