1898] SOME NEW BOOKS 53 



In his introduction, the author is somewhat severe as to the 

 treatment accorded to the amateur naturalist by the specialist ; and 

 he seems to fear that the former class is in danger of extinction by 

 the latter. If amateurs will indulge in wild theories, there is in truth 

 some likelihood of their not receiving the attention they undoubtedly 

 merit at the hands of tlieir professional l^rethren. For both there 

 is plenty of good work remaining to 1)e done, the amateur, as a rule, 

 being the one by whom our knowledge of animal habits is advanced. 

 Before, however, he proceeds to theorise it is essential that he should 

 have a fair grasp of the leading principles of zoology ; and if that be 

 attained, he has the chance of advancing some brilliant hypothesis, 

 which, from over caution, the specialist would never dare to propound. 



If the reader be sufficiently advanced as not to take for gospel 

 all that he finds set before him, there is much worthy of his best 

 attention in this latest contribution to a very interesting subject. 



Verworn's Physiology 



Allgemeine Physiologie. Ein Grundrlss der Lehre vom Leben. By Max 

 Verwoni, a.o. Professor der Physiologic an der medicinisclien Facultiit der Univer- 

 sitiit Jena, Second Edition, with 285 illustrations. 8vo, pp. viii. 606. Jena : 

 Gustav Fischer, 1897. Price, 15 marks. 



The first edition of this work has already been fully reviewed in these 

 pages ; the second, therefore, calls for no more than a brief notice of 

 new features. The addition of seventeen new illustrations, and the 

 incorporation of some new matter, have increased the bulk of the 

 volume, but there is little material alteration in the text, except that 

 one section of the first chapter has been rewritten and much shortened, 

 and now bears the heading " Psychomoni^us," instead of the original 

 " Psychologische Methodik." 



The figures are, on the whole, very much better executed than 

 those in the first edition ; some which were unimportant have been 

 omitted, some others improved upon (see the figure of OrhitoliUs on 

 p. 98), and many new ones added which are a distinct gain to the 

 work. Among the latter, the full-page illustrations of Rhizoplasma 

 kaiscri (p. 289) and of Hylopus (p. 333) are worthy of special men- 

 tion. We note that the elaborate " Quadrille des centres," from 

 Boveri, is now conspicuous by its absence. One feature in the new . 

 edition which we do not regard as an improvement is the use of the 

 same figure to illustrate different points. These repetitions occur with 

 irritating frequency ; for instance, a very commonplace Amoeba ap- 

 pears no less than three times,on pages 88, 97 and 172; a dividing ovum 

 (after Boveri) on pages 72 and 199 ; while the familiar Paramoecium 

 and Spirogyra are reproduced twice respectively. We fail to see the 

 necessity for this system of " carrying forward " ; a reference to a pre- 

 vious page would have met the wants of a student who could not bear 

 in mind for eight pages the details of structure of an amoeba, and 

 lazier readers should not receive consideration. 



Nemertine Worms 



Traitj^ de Zoologie. Publie sous la dire( tion de Raphael Blanchakd. Fasc. 

 XI. Nemertiens, par Louis Joubin, professeur a I'Universite dc Rennes. 8vo, pp. 

 59, and 53 tigg. in text, 18 of them coloured. Paris : Rueff & Cie. , 1897. Price, 2 fr. 



Professor Joubin has given us a concise, well-arranged, and very 

 readable account of the Nemertines. After giving a short sketch of 



