1803) 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. Weare 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 1s 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. 
Tue Eartu’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 IRIDEZ. 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. 
