418 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the best of it is selected and embodied in a 

 manual like the present one. The schemes 

 of analysis here presented embrace those 

 which, " after careful investigation, and, in 

 many cases, after prolonged trial in practice, 

 have seemed to the writer best adapted to 

 the requirements of a technical laboratory." 

 Dr. Wiechmann has avoided many repetitions 

 by giving the methods of determining each 

 constituent of saccharine substances once 

 for all, and adding such suggestions as spe- 

 cial cases call for, instead of giving a com- 

 plete scheme of analysis for each product of 

 the sugar manufacture. The opening chap- 

 ters contain directions for the use of polari- 

 scopes, hydrometers, and other instruments 

 and apparatus, for the verification of hy- 

 drometers, balances, and graduated vessels, 

 and for the sampling of sugars and molasses. 

 The methods for optical and chemical analy- 

 sis follow, and in conclusion there are given 

 notes on reporting sugar analyses, methods 

 of calculating rendement, lists of synonyms 

 in English, French, and German, and refer- 

 ences to the literature of sugar analysis. 

 Nineteen tables required in the various op- 

 erations detailed are appended to the vol- 

 ume. These have been selected by Dr. 

 Wiechmann with great care, and, to secure 

 uniformity of basis, several have been cal- 

 culated expressly for this volume. 



Proceedings op the Boston Society of 

 Natural History. Vol. 24, Parts III 

 and IV. Boston. Pp. 257-597. 



These parts conclude the volume, cover- 

 ing the meetings of the society from May, 

 1889, to April, 1890, inclusive. Among the 

 more extended papers in this portion of the 

 volume is Mr. August F. Foerste's Notes on 

 Clinton Group Fossils, illustrated with nine 

 plates, and containing descriptions of a 

 large number of species. Prof. Alpheus S. 

 Packard contributes a paper on The Life 

 History of Drepana arcuata, and another, 

 occupying sixty-seven pages, entitled Hints 

 on the Evolution of the Bristles, Spines, and 

 Tubercles of Certain Caterpillars, apparently 

 resulting from a Change from Low Feeding 

 to Arboreal Habits, illustrated by the Life- 

 Histories of some Notodontians. The latter 

 is accompanied by two plates, and by figures 

 in the text. Messrs. W. M. Davis and J. W. 

 Wood, Jr., publish an account of The Geo- 

 graphic Development of Northern New 



Jersey, illustrated with fourteen diagrams 

 and small maps. The scope of the investi- 

 gation embraces a description of the prob- 

 able course of development of the present 

 geographical features of the highlands in 

 New Jersey, a similar account of the forma- 

 tion of the central plain of the State and 

 the highland valleys, and a discussion of 

 the deformation of the central plain indi- 

 cated by the present course of the Millstone 

 River. Other papers are by Prof. G. F. 

 Wright, on The Climatic Condition of the 

 Glacial Period ; by Mr. Frederick Tucker- 

 man, on The Gustatory Organs of the Mam- 

 malia; and by Mr. Samuel H. Scudder, on 

 The Physiognomy of the American Tertiary 

 Hemiptera. 



Among the Moths and Butterflies. By 

 Julia P. Ballard. New York : G. P. 

 Putnam's Sons. Pp. 237. Price, $1.50. 



Tnis book is a revised and enlarged edi- 

 tion of Insect Lives; or, Born in Prison, 

 and is devoted to the natural history of the 

 insects named in the title. It is written for 

 children, but the author does not take the 

 trouble to express herself uniformly in 

 words with which children are familiar. 

 The two following passages illustrate the dif- 

 ferent styles of language that are mingled 

 throughout the volume. The first chapter 

 opens thus : "I am only a day old ! I 

 wonder if every butterfly comes into the 

 world to find such queer things about Mm ? 

 I was born in prison. I can see right 

 through my walls ; but I can't find any 

 door." Simple enough for any child to un- 

 derstand ; and the following sentence from 

 the top of page 35 contrasts strangely with 

 it : " No philosopher ever showed more pa 

 tience and dignity under repeated trials at 

 the hands of a photographer than he dis- 

 played in the hands of his persecutors, with 

 no knowledge of the cause to stimulate his 

 vanity and inspire his courage." This is 

 not an isolated case. Nearly every page 

 bristles with polysyllables, very few of 

 which can be excused by the plea that they 

 are needed to secure scientifically accurate 

 description. We fear that the children who 

 may be condemned to see nature under the 

 guidance of Mrs. Ballard will get a much 

 obstructed view of it. The volume is hand- 

 somely printed and liberally illustrated. 



