1893. SOME NEW BOOKS. 311 



Considering the enormous number of sheets these "town maps" occupy 

 (13,860), and the small sale, the Committee seems to incline to the 

 view originally put forward by Sir Charles Trevelyan in 1854, that 

 the engraving of " town maps " is unnecessary, and that MS. copies 

 might be supplied at a less cost than that entailed by the engraving 

 and storing of so many plans. 



With regard to the third question, the Committee deals with so 

 many criticisms, complaints, and suggestions that it is impossible to 

 quote them here ; but they are all fully dealt with in the Report. 

 The most sensible of all, perhaps, is the suggestion " That an edition 

 of the I -inch map, and of maps on a larger scale on thin tough paper 

 be issued," and this the Committee says (p. xxx.) "might probably 

 be serviceable for the i-inch map." Another criticism, the faulty 

 spelling of names, has been a long-standing grievance, but, as the 

 Committee remarks, a most difficult one to cope with. They give 

 some examples, but hardly any, perhaps, as curious as that of" Silex 

 Bay," near Flamborough Head, the effort, possibly, of some astute 

 surveyor with a smattering of geology, when glancing at the chalk 

 cliff, to take down the local pronunciation of Selwick. 



The Committee most truly says, "No country at the present time 

 possesses anything as perfect and complete as our cadastral survey, 

 published by the authority of the Government, and available at a 

 moderate price to every person in the kingdom, showing every plot 

 of ground and every isolated building, and having the new i-inch 

 map founded on it by the accurate copying power of the photographic 

 lens." Whatever faults exist, this sentence is in the main uncontro- 

 vertible, and we sincerely hope that due provision will be made for 

 the continuance and revision of our Ordnance Survey in as liberal a 

 manner as the splendid results already achieved deserve. 



A Manual of Bacteriology. By A. B. Grifl5ths, Ph.D., F.R.S.E., F.CS. 

 London : William Heinemann, 1893. Price 7s. 6d. 



There is a suggestion of book-making about this volume. The 

 frontispiece is a view of the outside of the Pasteur Institute ; there 

 is a ground plan and a view of the interior of the Edinburgh 

 Bacteriological laboratory ; a representation of a Zeiss' microscope ; 

 of microphotographic apparatus ; microtomes ; needles and knives, 

 and much other delectable matter. The drawings of microbes them- 

 selves are not numerous or particularly clear. The suggestion of 

 collation is by no means dispelled on reading. A fair account of 

 microbes and the various methods of investigating them is given, but 

 there seems no special reason why Dr. Griffiths rather than anyone 

 else should have written the book. No doubt it is intended to be 

 more elementary, but we miss the breadth of view and clearness of 

 exposition to be found in Dr. Sims Woodhead's volume on "Bacteria 

 and their Products." The publisher is, however, to be congratulated 

 on the excellent get-up of the book. 



Birds of Germany. " Deutschland's niitzliche und schadliche Vogel." By Dr. 

 Hermann Fiirst. 8vo text, and fol. coloured pis. Pt. i. Berlin : P. Parey, 

 1893. 



As a perfect marvel of cheapness, combined with the highest style of 

 artistic excellence, this work, of which the first part is before us, can 

 have but few if any equals ; and as most of the birds of Germany are 



