172 



NA TORE 



[Decemker 2 2f, 1897 



containing a list of the scientific writings of the two 

 Bonds, compiled by Mrs. Richard F. Bond. 



We cannot bring this notice to a conclusion without 

 referring to the admirable way in which the lives and 

 work of these two men have been set forth, and to the 

 excellent reproductions of those celestial objects which 

 will always be connected with their name, namely, 

 Donati's Comet and the Nebula of Orion. 



William J. S. Lockyer. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Hints /o Teachers and Students on the Choice 0/ Geo- 

 graphical Books for Reference and Reading; with 

 'Classified Lists. By Hugh Robert Mill, D.Sc, F.R.S.E. 

 Pp. 142. (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897.) 

 A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS always a difficult work to compile 

 satisfactorily, and it becomes an even more delicate 

 undertaking when an eclectic method is followed. The 

 '• Bibliotheca Geographica," which Herr Otto Baschin 

 edits for the Berlin Gesellschaft fiir Erdkunde, is an 

 example of the comprehensive type of bibliography, and 

 Dr. Mill's little book admirably represents the type 

 which aims at being serviceable rather than complete. 

 Of the direct value of the book to teachers of geography, 

 and indirectly to the science of geography, there can be 

 no question : what surprises us is that Dr. Mill should 

 have had the temerity to prepare it. Few people care 

 to publish lists of what they consider to be the best 

 books on any particular subject ; and those who do 

 commit themselves are often afterwards visited with mild 

 regret. The author of this book, however, occupies an 

 exceptional position for knowing what geographical works 

 are in existence, and his lists of books show that he 

 has made his selections carefully and with a mind free 

 from prejudice. The volumes are classified under seven- 

 teen different headings, and dealt with in as many 

 sections. A chapter on the principles of geography 

 forms a suitable introduction to the more practical part of 

 the work. 



But a list of books, even when annotated, is not a suffi- i 

 cient guide to a teacher, and it needs to be supplemented i 

 by a few remarks upon the general utility and educa- \ 

 tional value of the works mentioned. We are glad, j 

 therefore, that Dr. Mill precedes each list with a brief I 

 description of the particular branch of geography, or j 

 the continent, to which the books refer, and with hints j 

 on the use of the books. From the notes and the lists I 

 it is easy to learn what volumes are best to read, and i 

 where to turn for trustworthy information upon any 

 geographical subject met with in ordinary life. The 

 student may refer to the book with confidence, and the 

 teacher of geography will benefit by taking it as his 

 guide. 



We notice that the volume was prepared at the re- 

 quest of the Geographical Association. The Association 

 could find no better way to further its objects than by 

 encouraging the publication of works of this character. 



Sleep : its Physiology., Pathology., Hygiene and Psychology. 

 By Marie de Manaceme. Pp. vii + 341. (London : 

 Walter Scott, Ltd., 1897.) 



This book is divided into four chapters dealing with the 

 subdivisions of the title. A good account is given of the 

 phenomena and theories of sleep. The chief abnor- 

 malities are well described, and the author includes an 

 account of certain allied conditions, such as double con- 

 sciousness and Latah. The references to general 

 pathology in this section are apt to be somewhat anti- 

 quated, as when the mental enfeeblement of goitre is 

 ascribed to withdrawal of blood from the brain. The 



subject of hygiene of sleep is evidently that to which the 

 special work of the author has been devoted. SRe laj-s 

 great stress on the proper management of sleep, and has 

 somewhat novel views on the evils of prolonged sleep, 

 and of fixed hours for sleep, and on the harmfuhiess of 

 rocking babies in order to make them sleep. She de- 

 scribes very fully a condition which she terms the hypna- 

 gogic or half-awakened state, a condition characterised 

 by increased suggestibility which is regarded as having an 

 unfavourable influence on the mind if allowed to become 

 well developed. 



The chapter on psychology is devoted chiefly to dreams, 

 of which a good systematic account is given, without 

 anything especially new. The author seems to regard 

 dreaming as an indication of high mental development ; 

 "dreams increase with the variety and activity of mental 

 life," because intellectual workers dream more than 

 servant girls. May this not be due to the fact that 

 servant girls are usually the sounder sleepers ? 



[ Lessons from Life., Animal and Human. With an Intro- 

 duction by Rev. Hugh Macmillan, LL.D. Pp. xvi 

 I + 529. (London : Elliot Stock, 1897). 



j This book is intended for preachers and Sunday-school 

 teachers, and the lessons which it draws are not infer- 

 j ences but moral analogies. Thus an account of the 

 j bower bird establishes the maxim that "the relief times 

 I of life secure bodily and mental energy, and good spirits." 

 I The advertisements at the end of the book inform us 

 that there are several volumes on the same plan, and 

 : that they have a good sale. The one before us is a 

 i compilation from many authors, with Darwin at one end 

 \ of the scale and a crowd of obscure or anonymous 

 writers at the other. The author is not particular in 

 his choice of materials. He draws lessons from the 

 most unlikely stories, and his familiarity with the litera- 

 ture of natural history can be estimated by the fact that 

 he attributes to George Shaw the delightful account by 

 Gilbert White of the behaviour of Timothy, his tortoise, 

 in a shower of rain. The illustration or epigram from 

 nature, which is so attractive in Shakespeare and other 

 great writers, is here reduced to a "sad, mechanic exer- 

 cise." When the allusions and emblems are arranged in 

 cyclopaedias, so that the preacher has only to look up a 

 virtue or a vice in the index to find a more or less ap- 

 propriate analogy, it is plain that the didactic anecdote 

 is now "hackneyed and worn to the last flimsy thread." 



L. C. M. 



All about Animals, for Old and Young. Oblong 4to. 

 (London : George Newnes, Ltd., 1897.) 



Altholtoh the title is somewhat pretentious, this col- 

 lection of large size photogravures is an enormous ad- 

 vance on the old-fashioned animal picture-books ; and 

 the volume forms an attractive Christmas gift for young 

 people interested in natural history. All the plates are 

 good, and some are excellent, although a few suffer from 

 over-enlargement. A naturalist will, however, notice 

 that one plate of deer is wrongly named ; and a i&w 

 emendations might here and there be suggested in the 

 explanatory letter-press. This is for the most part well 

 and brightly written, and serves to enhance the interest of 

 the figures. In the first half of the book the greater 

 number of the illustrations are from photos by Mr. 

 Gambler Bolton, but in the second half other artists' 

 names appear. And many of these latter are merely 

 repetitions of the animals figured in the first half This 

 is decidedly a pity, as many other species might have 

 been introduced. In a future edition these replicas 

 might be replaced by others ; and a rearrangement of 

 the whole series in some sort of order would also be 

 advisable. Even as it stands the book ought to, and 

 doubtless will, command a large sale. R. L. 



NO. T469. VOL. 57] 



