1894. NOTES AND COMMENTS. 95 



The consequence is a book that we should rather hesitate to put 

 in the hands of our own children. For instance, we find it written 

 that adaptation, mimicry, and the like " afford us beautiful oppor- 

 tunities for teaching both spiritual and moral lessons, without 

 objectionable preaching, which go home to the hearts of children 

 in such a way that the lesson, once learned, is never forgotten. For 

 we must remember that children easily get hard and callous when 

 left to themselves," and so on. It would never do to let a child 

 behind the scenes in this way. On the other hand, if the book 

 is for adults— even for parents — it is hardly necessary to tell them 

 how to degrade the study of sea-weeds by turning them into 

 Christmas cards. 



We regret that we cannot speak better of this book, for many of 

 the articles are useful in their way, and are on the whole free from 

 the inaccuracies that disfigure most popular works of the kind ; for 

 this, indeed, the names of the writers are in most cases sufficient 

 guarantee. Still the undoubted ability of some of the writers renders 

 their articles the more disappointing. That on Zoology, for example, 

 consists of lists of books far too comprehensive, interlarded with this 

 sort of thing, — " Gradually we must pass from considering the bird 

 as an intact unity like one of ourselves, to see it as a marvellous 

 living engine, with many parts or organs, as a great web of tissues, 

 as a vast city of cells — competing and co-operating, and finally as an 

 ensouled whirlpool of living matter, which, though ever changing as 

 streams of matter and energy pass in and out, yet retains its 

 integrity till death comes." We don't wish to use the word " high- 

 falutin " so soon after uttering a caveat against, it, but this really is a 

 trifle " tall." Then again " The Study of Mosses " is doubtless most 

 fascinating ; but who would be attracted thereto by these extracts 

 from the description of a Moss plant ? " Its base is fixed in the soil 

 by numerous fine filaments, .... some of these may be above 

 ground and green — these are the pvotonema ; others are brown, and 

 ramify in the soil — these are the rhizoids. The fruit, to which the 

 term spovogonium is applied, consists of a capsule containing spores, 

 placed either at the end of a stalk, the seta, or else sessile among the 

 leaves." The chapter on Fungi is nearly as dreadful. 



We can only hope that the parents who are expected to read 

 this book will be able to distil from it something that shall be more 

 suitable than the above extracts as food for babes. 



The Attack on the Pole. 



The present year will be a marked one in the annals of Polar 

 exploration. Never before have so many expeditions been in the 

 field, and never before have the resources of modern science been so 

 called upon to deserve, if not to command, success. The account of 

 the preparations for the Wellman expedition, with its aluminium 



