SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 



553 



stars. This problem, too, is discussed in 

 the light of the discoveries at Tulse 

 Hill. From the simple but beautiful 

 harmonic system of hydrogen lines 

 which characterizes a white star like 

 Vega, we learn how we pass to the 

 more developed star of a solar type, like 

 Capella, and thence to Arcturus, and 

 Belelgueze, which indicate a still later 

 stage of development. At least this is 

 the theory of the author. Aside from 

 its great theme lucidly discussed the 

 book deserves to be upon every library 

 table as a superb specimen of book- 

 making. For once, beautiful truth is 

 promulgated in fitting guise. Lady 

 Huggins is an artist and archaeologist 

 as well as an astronomer, and the initial 

 letters of the chapters are illuminated 

 with original sketches and designs from 

 quaint old manuscripts, which make the 

 book artistically as well as astronomic- 

 ally worthy of the prize which it re- 

 ceived from the Royal Society as the 

 most distinguished contribution to the 

 scientific literature of the year. 



EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE. 



Anyone who wishes to gain a fairly 

 adequate idea of what experiments on 

 living animals have accomplished for 

 the welfare of the human race and of 

 other animals as well, can now do so 

 by reading 'Experiments on Animals,' 

 by Stephen Paget. Mr. Paget has col- 

 lected evidence showing the part that 

 animal experiments have played in the 

 progress of physiology, pathology, bac- 

 teriology and therapeutics. He has not 

 ventured to offer opinion or even state- 

 ments unsupported by exact and veri- 

 fiable facts. A large part of the book's 

 space is filled by original quotations 

 from scientific workers, from Galen 

 down to the recent students of the 

 malaria parasite. It shows plainly that 

 knowledge of the processes of life in 

 health and disease has throughout de- 

 pended on experiments on living sub- 

 stances. Mr. Paget's book is not de- 

 pendent for its interest solely on the 

 laudable curiosity to know the worth 

 of animal experiments. For these have 



been so important in the science of 

 medicine that their story is at the same 

 time the history of a great number of 

 medical discoveries. There is, too, a 

 freshness and biographical interest in 

 the quotations from the famous -past 

 and present students of medical science 

 which makes them very readable. 



ICHTHYOLOGY FOR ANGLERS. 



In his "Familiar Fish, their Habits 

 and Capture," Mr. Eugene McCarthy 

 has put forth a readable volume which 

 doubtless will prove popular among the 

 disciples of Izaak Walton, for it is es- 

 sentially a book for anglers, written by 

 an angler of experience. A prelimi- 

 nary chapter, devoted to fish-culture, 

 dwells on the destruction of eggs and 

 fry in nature and the necessity for arti- 

 ficial measures. It is a fairly good gen- 

 eral outline of the subject, although 

 some of the methods described are ob- 

 solete. The many breeders of orna- 

 mental fish will wonder whether the au- 

 thor is intentionally facetious in stating 

 that the "famous double-tailed goldfish 

 frequently seen are raised in Japan, and 

 are produced by violently shaking the 

 eggs in a pan." 



About a third of the book is devoted 

 to brief accounts of the distribution, 

 food, habits and peculiarities of the 

 fresh-water fishes most sought by an- 

 glers, the salmons, trouts, basses and 

 pikes naturally receiving most atten- 

 tion. The remaining pages deal chiefly 

 with the description of angling para- 

 phernalia and methods, camping, boat- 

 ing and useful data for sportsmen. By 

 far the best chapters are those treating 

 of the ouananiche and its capture, as 

 the author writes from ample experi- 

 ence. He gives it first rank among our 

 game fishes and holds that "pound for 

 pound the ouananiche can greatly out- 

 fight the salmon, and none of the fresh- 

 water fishes can equal it in this respect; 

 the black bass approaches it the near- 

 est but never equals it." 



The volume is freely illustrated with 

 fishing scenes, angling apparatus and 

 twenty-five full-page figures of fishes, 



