1896. SOME NEW BOOKS. 207 



illustrated by three half-tone plates from photographs of specimens. 

 A thoroughly practical article on photo-micrography, by E. Hartley 

 Turner, should be useful to others than the members of this society. 

 The presidential address by Professor F. E. Weiss, deals with the 

 influence of external conditions on reproductive processes in plants, 

 showing how the method of reproduction may often be changed by a 

 very slight alteration of surrounding physical conditions. Mr. A. 

 Chopin, in notes on a recent visit to Cumbrae, quotes an interesting 

 account by Captain Turbyne of his attempts on artificially fertilising 

 echinoderms. He fertilised, about the middle of May, the ova of 

 Echinus esmlentus with the spermatozoa of Astevias nibens, and vice 

 versa. It is not stated what degree of development they attained, but 

 " they lived for twelve days quite healthy till the heat killed them." 



The Iowa Geological Survey, instead of waiting till its volume is 

 complete for publication, is now issuing separate memoirs as they are 

 ready. We have received " Geology of Woodbury Co.," by H. F. 

 Bain, from vol. v., pp. 241 to 300; "Geology of Warren Co.," by 

 J. L. Tilton, from the same volume, pp. 301 to 360 ; and " Lead and 

 Zinc Deposits of Iowa," by A. G. Leonard, from vol. vi., pp. 1-66. 

 All these were pubhshed in 1896, and are fully illustrated by maps, 

 plates, and text-figures. 



Mr. Fred Broughton Weeks has issued a Bibliography and Index 

 of North American Geology, Palaeontology, Petrology, and Mine- 

 ralogy, for 1892-1893, forming No. 130 of the Bulletins of the United 

 States Geological Survey. This is an extremely useful book, but its 

 usefulness is considerably marred by the delay in publication. It 

 should not be difficult to issue these annual bibliographies six months 

 after the close of the year, and we are afraid that in this case also, as 

 was pointed out in our note of last month, the delay is due to the 

 Government rather than to the author, for the manuscript was handed 

 in in April, 1895. The Palaeontology of 1892 has already been pub- 

 lished in the 121st Bulletin, by C. R. Keyes, although Mr. Weeks has 

 omitted to state the fact in his introduction. 



In our March number, p. 209, we referred to Norwich Castle 

 Museum, and to its excellent illustrated guide by Mr. T. Southwell. A 

 larger edition, price is. 6d., has lately been published. " The writer's 

 object has been not to confine himself simply to an enumeration of 

 the specimens actually to be seen in the cases, but rather to use them 

 as illustrations of a general review of the orders to which they belong, 

 and to make this intelligible, he has commenced, in each great natural 

 division, by giving very briefly some slight particulars of the leading 

 characteristics of the group and of the principles on which they are 

 classified." This book will, we are sure, far more than fulfil the 

 modest hope of its author, that it '* may be useful to those who visit 

 the collections." 



Science for July 24 publishes the interesting presidential address 

 on " The Advancement of Medicine by Research," delivered before 

 the Massachusetts Medical Society, by H. P. Bowditch. He points 

 out the inconveniences of the English law, which, while it secures no 

 guarantee for the humane treatment of animals, is a source of serious 

 annoyance to investigators, who have occasionally been debarred from 

 making experiments of the highest importance. After reviewing the 

 history of the anti-vivisection movement, the author gives illustrations 

 of the lower sensibihty to pain as we go down the scale of life, and 

 the frequency under operations of reflex actions which do not denote 

 suffering any more than do the flutterings of a decapitated chicken. 

 Finally he touches upon the main question, the valuable results 



