1893- SOME NEW BOOKS. 313 



which it deals ; for one quarter of the author's preface is devoted to an 

 attack upon Mr. Sladen's "Challenger" volume upon the Star- 

 fishes. We are not concerned with the issue of this dispute, though, 

 .incidentally, we may remark that the opinions of a gentleman who 

 has made material additions to the morphology of the Echinoderms 

 are not treated with the respect that they should have met with 

 at the hands of the author of the catalogue before us. The bracketed 

 remarks in the following phrase strike us as not being at all in place. 

 Mr. Bell says that Mr. Sladen repeatedly expresses " views for which 

 he does not give (I do not say, does not possess) adequate reasons." 

 The bellicose tone which is adopted throughout is not suited to the 

 nature of the publication ; and we desire to protest against its use 

 in an official catalogue. 



As to the catalogue itself, the list of genera and species is pre- 

 ceded by some " Introductory Remarks," occupying ten pages, and 

 consisting of a sketch of the anatomy of the group. This sketch 

 can hardly serve any useful purpose. It cannot be pretended that it 

 is an adequate account of the structure of the Echinoderms ; a more 

 detailed and illustrated description of the hard parts alone would have 

 been useful, as they are principally used for classification purposes ; 

 the catalogue is written by a systematist for systematists, and we 

 cannot see why he should have attempted anything more ambitious. 



In fairness to the author, we ought to say that the actual cata- 

 logue itself seems carefully and conscientiously done ; he is here 

 in his natural element ; and there is a freedom from misprints 

 which indicates much laborious work on the part of the author 

 and (we presume) the editor. We cannot be too thankful that 

 persons exist who are capable of doing and willing to do this necessary 

 but uninteresting work for us. 



The Earth's History. An introduction to Modern Geology. By R. D. Roberts, 

 M.A., D.Sc. [University Extension Manuals.] Crown 8vo. Pp. 365, with 

 8 plates and 51 illustrations in the text. London : John Murray, 1893. 

 Price 5s. 



Under the above somewhat ambitious title. Dr. Roberts adds one 

 more to the numerous geological text-books. The volume is nicely 

 got up, and contains several useful maps, printed in colours ; but 

 beyond this we cannot praise the book, for it contains only the well- 

 known materials worked up again. One does not, of course, expect 

 much originality in a text-book, but the student has a right to ask 

 that the author shall make a good selection, and arrange the matter 

 systematically. 



Handbook of the Iride.?;. By J. G. Baker, F.R.S., F.L.S. 8vo. Pp. 247. 

 London : George Bell & Sons, 1892. Price 5s. 



We gladly welcome another addition to the valuable series of mono- 

 graphs by Mr. J. G. Baker, of Kew. The present volume is the 

 fourth of a series devoted to certain groups of plants that enter 

 largely into horticulture. To many it will be the most interesting of 

 the series, for it deals with such handsome and well-known genera as 

 Iris, Crocus, Ixia, and Gladiolus, besides a host of less familiar 

 forms, unknown except to the systematic botanist. 



