66 Bibliographical Notices. 



sea, and the primitive ocean, which call for little notice. The first- 

 mentioned is principally derived from the posthumous work of Pro- 

 fessor Edward Forbes, the second contains a description of the lumi- 

 nosity of the ocean and of some of the animals which produce it, 

 and the last gives a brief outline of the geological history of the 

 earth. 



The third part, as already stated, contains a summary of the his- 

 tory of maritime discovery ; and although it seems to us a little out 

 of place here, we must admit that it forms an attractive portion of 

 the book, and will be read by many with much interest. In fact, 

 notwithstanding the defects which we have already adverted to, Dr. 

 Hartwig's volume must take a far higher place in our popular scien- 

 tific literature than can be accorded to many of the works on kindred 

 subjects which are constantly issuing from the press ; it furnishes a 

 good and comprehensive general view of the vast subject of which it 

 treats, and may be read with both pleasure and profit. 



We have still a few words to say with regard to the illustrations ; 

 and here we hardly know whether those faults that we have to indi- 

 cate are to be ascribed to the author, the editor (if there be one), or 

 the publishers. The woodcuts, most of which are well executed, are 

 certainly, as stated on the title-page, numerous ; for the publishers 

 seem to have brought together all their available stock of this nature, 

 and inserted figures wherever they had the shadow of a reason for so 

 doing. But of woodcuts specially executed for the work there ap- 

 pears to be an utter absence ; and the illustrations inserted in the 

 first section are, for the most part, without the smallest relation to the 

 subject. Thus, we have a representation of " H.M.S. Resolute 

 lying-to in the North Atlantic," which might be a representation of 

 any other ship in the same uncomfortable situation, and certainly 

 has nothing to do with the chapter in which it occupies a place ; we 

 find two or three vignettes designated Japanese junks, and finally, 

 three views on the Great Bear Lake River. It is, however, amongst 

 the illustrations of the second part that we find the most cause of 

 complaint : here we have two perfectly distinct Herrings, two Ham- 

 mer-headed Sharks of the most incongruous description, three dif- 

 ferent figures with the simple designation " Seal," and, we presume, 

 intended to represent the common Seal, and four Flying-Fishes, all 

 exhibiting differences in important characters. These things would 

 be sufliciently confusing to a young reader ; but the figures of the 

 Cephalopodous MoUusca are still more open to criticism : here we 

 have no less than six woodcuts with the word " Cuttle-fish " beneath 

 them, one of which is a Poulpe, and is given a second time with that 

 designation, whilst another figure of the Poulpe is denominated the 

 " Sea- Arrow." There are also two Sea-horses, the second of which, 

 placed as a tail-piece at the end of the chapter on Echinodernis, 

 seems to have been designed by the artist whilst under some erro- 

 neous impression of the meaning of the second commandment : it is 

 certainly unlike anything on the earth or in the waters ; and we don't 

 expect to find the original in heaven. The Barnacle figured on p. 77 

 as an illustration of the statement that the Whale is often covered 



