54 THE ROMANCE OF SCIENCE. 



the various methods have one by one been superseded as years 

 went by. In Sir Robert's book, however, we go much farther 

 back, and examine both the earth and the moon, as well as other 

 of the planets for an explanation of the myster}- associated with the 

 tides. The story is romantic in the extreme. 



If Prof Marshall Ward's work is not at present so popular as 

 the others, the fault is due to the reader or the subject, which does 

 not easily fascinate the public, but is every year being better 

 understood and more carefully studied. The author is exceedingly 

 lucid, and the forms of disease with which he deals are just those 

 about which everyone should try and know something — blights 

 and mildews among flowers, corn, fruit, and vegetables — affecting 

 our food supply, and touching our purse. I know of no works on 

 popular science more worthy of a hearty commendation, or better 

 suited for presenting to young people, than these. 



It is not to be supposed, however, that the publications of the 

 S.P.C.K. for the present season in this department are limited to 

 the trio to which I have been referring. A new book by Dr. M. 

 C. Cooke, entitled Toilers hi the Sea (price 5s.), containing 70 

 illustrations, 4 plates and index, and 370 pages of matter, also 

 comes from this publishing-house ; and in it we have a lucid 

 resume of our present information respecting the Sponges, 

 Zoophytes, Corals, Foraminifera, and other workers in the mighty 

 deep. As many of the creatures whose life-history is here recorded, 

 could formerly be studied only with great difficulty owing to the 

 want of accessible literature, this handbook will prove a most 

 valuable introduction to the several sections of marine life of which 

 it treats. Unfortunately, the rapid production of books is attended 

 in too many instances with one great evil: our young people do not 

 find in them such models of literary and grammatical accuracy as 

 we could wish. It is deplorable to see how many modern writers 

 put singular verb with plural noun (and vice-versa), mistake the 

 expansion of the subject for the subject itself, and drop or misuse 

 their relatives and other parts of speech. Dr. Cooke's book (hke 

 that of Prof. Lobley, to be mentioned presently) is not altogether 

 clear on this score, as sundry marks in my copy (pp. 129, 136, 180, 

 etc.) show. On page 186 the word genera should be put for 

 ' species ' at the end of the first paragraph. 



