May 25, 1911] 



NATURE 



419 



are not naturalists, and for whom alone the volume 

 is intended. As is usual in works of this nature, 

 vertebrates claim the lion's share of the volume, the 

 lower groups being accorded only sixty-eight pages, 

 which is, of course, an altogether inadequate propor- 

 tion of space. 



Nevertheless, Mr. Protheroe has succeeded in pro- 

 ducing a readable, and certainly a remarkably well 

 illustrated volume, which is calculated to attract a 

 large circle of readers. With the exception of the 

 twenty-four coloured plates, the illustrations are from 

 photographs, some of which are naturally better than 

 others. In some instances the photographs, like the 

 one of a tur (p. 169), are taken from immature 

 specimens, which convey no idea of the adult animal. 

 In other cases, as in the so-called Canadian skunk 



Fig. 2.— a Marabou Stork. From the " New Illustrated Natural 

 History." 



(p. 95) and dwarf buffalo (p. 162), animals are wrongly 

 identified; while in the figure of a wild ass (p. 155) 

 the reader is left to discover for himself whether it is 

 intended for an Asiatic or an African species, and 

 there is no reference in the text to the figure of an 

 "Australian Rail" on p. 366, As regards the 

 coloured plates, it will perhaps suffice to say that 

 while some are excellent, the others are probably the 

 best that could be produced for the money; but in 

 the figure supposed to represent the black rhinoceros 

 it seems as if the artist had made a "composite" 

 portrait of the .African and the great Indian species. 

 Two photographs are reproduced as samples. 

 NO. 2169, VOL. 86] 



As regards the text, this, in addition to much more 

 or less irrelevant matter, is marred by a large number 

 of omissions and errors, of which only a few, and 

 these in the sections on mammals and reptiles, can 

 be mentioned here. In the Insectivora, for instance, 

 no mention is made of Chrysochloridae, Gymnuritiae, 

 Solenodontidae, or Potamogalidee, while the Cente- 

 tidae are intercalated between Tupaiidae and Macrosceli- 

 didae, and the reader is left to find out for himself 

 the genus name of the typical representatives of the 

 latter. Space for these omissions might have been 

 found by cutting down the account of monkeys. 

 .A.mong the rodents, Pedetes is still classed with the 

 jerboas (p. 126), and is said to be "a very similar 

 species," while American porcupines are not separated 

 as a family from their Old-VVorld relatives. 



Passing to ungulates, it may be noted that Gravy's 

 zebra (p. 156) is stated to range " the Victoria Nyanza 

 regions," whereas its habitat is east and north of 

 that lake ; and that not a word is said with regard 

 to the range of the white rhinoceros (p. 152). On 

 p. 169 we are informed that the Alpine ibex is " the 

 most probable forbear of the common goat," and on 

 p. 171 that the takin "is a native of the highest -and 

 least-known regions of Tibet." Perhaps, however, 

 the worst misstatement in the book occurs on p. 241, 

 where it is asserted that the opossum family is " re- 

 markable among the marsupiated animals, because 

 it is the only one that is not Australian." Has the 

 author never heard of Caenolestes? 



Among the reptiles it must suffice to state that 

 there is no mention of Schlegel's gharial, that the 

 reader is left to find out for himself what part of the 

 globe is the home of the Chelydridae (p. 404), and 

 that it is scarcely true to say that the tuatera has 

 teeth on the palate (p. 428). 



Although the book has merits, I am driven to 

 conclude from the foregoing and other instances 

 either that the author is terribly careless, or that he 

 is not up to his work. R. L. 



?ROF. JOHANNES BOSSCHA. 



T^ HE career of this eminent physicist has not only 

 ■■■ been of importance for the advancement of 

 physics, but also of the greatest benefit to the develop- 

 ment of exact science in Holland. Born on Novem- 

 ber 18, 183 1, at Breda, Bosscha was initiated in 

 physics by van der Willigen, and entered the Univer- 

 sity of Leiden in 1850. His eminence as a student 

 in different respects foreshadowed the leading posi- 

 tion he occupied in later life. In Bosscha 's later 

 observational work the influence of the great 

 astronomer Kaiser is evident. In March, 1852, he took 

 his degree with a dissertation on the difTerential gal- 

 vanometer, worked out in the Physical Laboratory at 

 Leiden, then under the direction of Rijke. After a 

 short stay at Berlin, he returned to this laboratory 

 as assistant. .Attention was soon directed to him by 

 the vigorous part he took in the great scientific move- 

 ment in connection with the law of conservation of 

 energy. The most important problem dealt with in 

 his well-known papers on the mechanical theorv of 

 electrolysis is the test of Kelvin's calculation of the 

 electromotive force of a galvanic cell from th^ heat 

 developed by the chemical processes which accompany 

 the current. By determining in absolute measure the 

 electromotive force of the Oaniell cell, he contributed 

 to the work which ultimately led to the adoption of 

 the C.G.S. system of electrical imits. He gave a 

 solution of multiplex telegniphy, and several rules 



