560 



Minute Marvels of Kature. By John J. Ward. 8| x 5^ in., 

 xxiv. + 272 pages, 184 figures in the text and frontispiece. 

 London, 1903 : Tsbister & Co. Price 75. Qd. 



This very attractive-looking book consists mainly of a series 

 of articles on various microscopical subjects, which have been 

 previously published in Good Words and other magazines. The 

 author does not, of course, pretend to illustrate, or even indicate, 

 a tithe of the vast numbers of types of microscopical structure 

 existing in Nature ; but he has certainly succeeded in putting, 

 in exceedingly clear and simple form, a considerable amount of 

 reliable information on the subjects actually dealt with. The 

 first four chapters are devoted to vegetable structures, starting 

 with the minute unicellular Algae and passing upwards to the 

 microscopic details of higher forms of plant-life. Chapter V. 

 treats of animal -plants and sea- weeds, and the remaining 

 chapters deal either exclusively or in part with insects from 

 various points of view. 



With regard to the illustrations, we do not think that they are 

 a great success. The exclusive use of photographs of the objects 

 referred to, whilst a most praiseworthy ideal, demands that 

 the photographs should be exceptionally good, and the method 

 of reproduction such as to do at least a moderate amount of 

 justice to their finer details. In the book before us, however, 

 the half-tone illustrations scarcely fulfil the latter condition, 

 nor do many of the photographs themselves appear to have 

 been selected because of their exceptional technical merit. 

 Nevertheless, the book will undoubtedly prove useful to a 

 beginner, and may certainly be recommended to the notice 

 of those who are in search of a novelty in the form of a 

 gift-book on microscopy. D, J. S. 



JoutTi. Qiiekeit Microscopical Club, Ser. 2, Vol. VIII., No. 53, November 1903. 



