SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS. OV 



Science and Scientists ; some papers on Natural History. By the Kev. 

 John Gerakd, S.J. 8vo, pp. vii. 130. Catholic Truth Society, 

 21, Westminster Bridge Boad, London. Is. 



The papers forming this charming little volume are written hy 

 an enthusiastic lover of natural history studies, who, not satisfied 

 with taking on trust the statements of book- writers, has gone into 

 the fields, lanes, and woods, and patiently sought from Nature 

 herself the information he desired. The evidence thus obtained, 

 he very ably shows, is against rather than in favour of the theories of 

 extreme evolutionists. The papers are pleasantly written, and give 

 evidence not only of abundant knowledge of scientific literature, 

 but also of close and attentive study of natural objects. 



In the first paper, " Grant Allen's Botanical Fables," the 

 various works of that versatile writer, such as ' The Evolutionist at 

 Large,' ' Vignettes from Nature,' ' Flowers and their Pedigrees,' 

 and ' Nature Studies,' are very ably criticized, and their weak points 

 exposed in a pleasant and interesting manner. The second paper, 

 " Who Painted the Flowers?," is devoted partly to a discussion of 

 Mr. Grant Allen's ' Colours of Flowers,' but more especially to a 

 criticism of Sir John Lubbock's interesting book, ' British Wild 

 Flowers in their relation to Insects.' Sir John states that to bees "we 

 owe the beauty of our gardens, the sweetness of our fields. To them 

 flowers are indebted for their scent and colour ; nay, for their very 

 existence, in its present form." This extreme statement Mr. Gerard 

 ably combats, bringing from Nature a number of examples which 

 disprove it. Whilst acknowledging that plants are benefited by the 

 visits of insects, he denies that they are the sole cause of the beauty 

 and perfume of our wayside weeds. 



In concluding this thoughtful essay, he says : — " Briefly to 

 recapitulate. It is maintained on the one hand that all the beauty 

 of flowers can be explained on Darwinian principles, as being of 

 advantage to them in the struggle for existence by attracting the 

 visits of honey-seeking insects, which assist the process of fertiliza- 

 tion. It appears on the other hand, however, that there are many 

 difficulties in the way of such a theory to be found by ordinary 

 observation in the fields around us. The problem of beauty of 

 form remains untouched by such an explanation. There are con- 

 spicuous and highly-coloured flowers which contain no honey, and 

 others which produce no seed ; whilst some of the least noticeable 

 of blossoms are richest in honey, and the greatest favourites of 

 bees. Some of the most successful tribes of plants do without 

 insect- agency, and prosper better than those which employ it most, 

 and some which largely employ it, never being fertilized, obtain no 

 benefit in return. Plants of the same genus may differ absolutely 

 in their attitude as to insects, and yet their development be so little 

 affected that they bear their affinity to one another stamped upon 

 every feature, and no diversity of insect- workers can alter any one 

 minutest character in individuals of one species. In view of all 

 this, is it scientific to flatter ourselves that we have probed the 

 whole mystery to the bottom, and to lay down that to insects alone 



