1894. SOME NEW BOOKS. 145 



in effect, even when full of descriptions of scores of new species with 

 anatomical details to match, and worked our in the most elaborate 

 and accurate fashion, are of less interest to the philosophical 

 naturalist than Mr. Kew's little book. Now Mr. Kew's book is the 

 work of a diligent collector of facts bearing upon the means of 

 dispersal possessed by land- and fresh-water Mollusca ; the facts are 

 some of them new, but the general gist of the book is far from new; 

 it is merely a slight extension of a matter which, in its main outlines 

 and even in details, is already well-known. A naturalist, moreover, 

 whose interests are limited to the phenomena of Distribution- 

 important though that subject is — can hardly be called a "philo- 

 sophical naturalist." If Mr. Wallace had not directly challenged 

 comparison, we should have contented ourselves with an expression 

 of opinion that Mr. Kew has done an extremely useful piece of work. 

 But we must say now that it is neither highly original nor abounding 

 in new knd important truths. The fact of the matter is, that the 

 kind of naturalist to whom Mr. Wallace refers when he uses the 

 expression " philosophical," is apt to be alarmingly unacquainted 

 v/ith the structure of animals, and to be a dabbler in what is 

 generally known as bionomics. There is a tendency, which we 

 deplore, to unduly exalt trifling observations upon the " habits" and 

 " intelligence " of animals. To make such observations needs 

 comparatively little knowledge ; to write monographs like those 

 which Mr. Wallace passes over so lightly, needs not only skill of eye 

 and hand, but wide knowledge, and, above all, reasoning power and 

 a sense of proportion. We are far from thinking otherwise than well 

 of Mr. Kew's book, but it is not exactly epoch-making. 



Romance of the Insect World. By L. N. Badenoch. London : Macmillan and 

 Co., 1893. Price 6s. 



This is a nicely got-up little book describing in a pleasant fashion 

 some of the more familiar facts about insects. It is not quite obvious 

 why what the author has to tell us should be deemed worthy of gilt 

 edges and cloth sides ; we should have thought that a magazine 

 article or two would have sufficed to unburden the writer of his 

 accumulated stores of information. A deliberate book calls for some 

 special acquaintance on the writer's part with the subject upon which he 

 proposes to enlighten his readers ; but there is not much evidence of such 

 a special — or, indeed, even a more general — ^knowledge in this work. 

 The author should not venture upon the quicksands of technicalities with- 

 out some more defensive protection in the way of fact than he appears to 

 possess. Insects, for example, are defined as "animals formed of a 

 series of rings or segments." This is, doubtless, perfectly correct ; 

 but the definition is truly, as he terms it, "broad." It is equivalent 

 to defining man as an animal with a backbone. The concluding section 

 deals with a much debated matter — the questions of " protective 

 resemblance," " mimicry," etc. But Mr. Badenoch evidently has 

 not the shghtest idea that there are any debated points relating to 

 the facts which he so glibly sets down. The facts, too, are of the 

 most worn-out character, which have done duty again and again. 

 Those over- worked Heliconidae cause the gorge to rise in more than 

 one sense. Mr. Badenoch seems to have read Mr. Poulton's " The 

 Colour of Animals," but he should also have consulted Mr. Beddard's 

 " Animal Colouration," which has at least the merit of impartiality. 

 A " Glossary " at the end of the book contains definitions " of the 

 principal scientific terms used." It may be necessary, though we 



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