304 NATURAL SCIENCE. oct„ 



memoirs are collated and simplified for them in a multitude of 

 excellent text-books, and the perusal of translations of isolated 

 researches can but bloat them up with unassimilated materials, and 

 give them a lopsided view of the animals they wish to study. Take 

 this particular case. Dr. Hatschek has written more and discovered 

 more about Amphioxus than any other investigator ; but many 

 others have written on it, and our total knowledge of Amphioxus is 

 based on a very large number of original papers. About these others 

 the "editor" says no word, and anyone judging by this book would 

 conclude that he had exhausted the subject, whereas by a little 

 laboratory work and a perusal of " Marshall and Hurst" or Parker's 

 " Elementary Biology " he would have learned much more. The most 

 astonishing thing about this publication is that it forms one of a series 

 of " Introductory Science Text-Books," for original papers come at 

 the end, not at the beginning of biological work. 



Report on the European Methods of Oyster-culture. By Bashford Dean. 

 Bull. U.S. Fish Commission for 1891. Pp. 357-406, pis. Ixxv.-lxxxviii. 1893. 



This report is drawn up on the author's personal observations made 

 during a tour through Europe for the special purpose in 1891. 

 Previous reports by Dr. Dean have been noticed in this Journal for 

 Feb., 1893. Detailed descriptions of oyster-culture as carried on in 

 Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and England 

 are given, that of France forming the subject of one of the previous 

 reports. Dr. Dean gives an account of the actual processes of 

 oyster-culture, shows in a general way the influence exerted upon 

 the industry by Government concessions or restrictions, and deals 

 with a variety of questions relating to the living conditions of the 

 oyster. The report is full of useful and practical remarks, is illus- 

 trated by photographs taken by the author, and we can only repeat 

 what we said on the previous occasion, that it should be furnished 

 to every grower around our coasts. 



Ethnographie Nordost-Afrikas : Die materielle Cultur der Danakil, Galla und 

 Somal. By Philipp Paulitschke. 8vo. Pp. 338, with 25 plates containing 100 

 figures and map. Berlin; 1893. Price 20 marks. 



This volume commences with a geographical sketch of the district, 

 notes on the peoples, the pure and mixed races, and then deals with 

 their culture, ("-lothing, ornament, weapons, building construction, 

 utensils, foods,, physiology and hygiene, family and social life, are all 

 taken in turn and fully dealt with ; these are followed by chapters on 

 economics, such as production and sale of valuables, imports, value 

 of the natives and their work. The plates represent the natives 

 themselves and their industries ; and the map, on the scale of 

 I : 4,000,000, shows the distribution of the various races. 



Guide to the Siebengebirge. [Fiihrer durch das Siebengebirge.] By B. Stiirtz. 

 Bonn : A. Henry, 1893. 



Naturalists visiting the Rhine will welcome this valuable little 

 guide-book as affording not merely the usual information for tourists, 

 but also a concise and interesting notice of the Geology, Zoology,. 



