Feb. 24, 1876] 



NATURE 



323 



Etheridge, jun., with those referring to Australasia. The 

 important department of Physical Geology has been un- 

 dertaken by Prof. Green, and those of Mineralogy and 

 Petrology by Prof. Rudler ; while the science of Palason- 

 tology has been equally well cared for — Mr. Miall taking 

 the papers referring to the Vertebrata, Prof. Nicholson 

 those relating to the Invertebrata, and Mr. Carruthers 

 those on Fossil Plants. Besides the sub-editors, a num- 

 ber of other contributors have given their assistance in 

 connection with this important work. 



When we reflect on the immense body of literature on 

 the different branches of the natural sciences which is 

 yearly published, we shall find good reason to be satis- 

 fied with the approximately complete character already 

 attained by this, the first volume of the " Geological 

 Record." It is only necessary to refer to the yearly 

 increasing activity of our great scientific societies, the 

 continual formation of new local associations and field- 

 clubs (whether connected with particular districts or with 

 our Universities and public schools), most of which pub- 

 lish their own transactions, to show the difficulty of 

 making a complete catalogue even of the scientific publi- 

 cations which appear yearly in the British Islands alone. 

 But when we add to these the prolific publications of the 

 different State surveys and the numerous scientific insti- 

 tutions of the United States and of our own colonies and 

 dependencies ; when we bear in mind the scientific acti- 

 \'ity exhibited by the French, German, and Italian speak- 

 ing populations of Europe, and the books and journals 

 written in languages, which of course few scientific men 

 are able to read, such as the Russian, Danish, Dutch, 

 Scandinavian, Hungarian, Bohemian, Serbian, &c. ; c.nd 

 when we recollect that geological memoirs are published 

 even in Japan and Tahiti ! — we may have some idea of the 

 magnitude and difficulty of the task with which the con- 

 ductors of the " Geological Record " have to grapple. 



In illustration of the energy which has been brought to 

 bear upon this task, we may mention that the first volume 

 of the " Geological Record" extends to nearly 400 pages ; 

 that the journals of which the contents, so far as they 

 relatie to geology, have been given in abstract, number 

 nearly 200 ; and that the separate entries of books, 

 memoirs, and maps exceed 2,000. 



Henceforward, the yearly volumes of the " Geological 

 Record" must find a place on the shelves of every scien- 

 tific library ; and in congratulating the editor on the 

 manner in v/hich he has surmounted the first and greatest 

 difficulties of his arduous undertaking, we find only one 

 cause for complaint. So far as the title-page shows, no 

 arrangements have been made with agents residing 

 abroad for the circulation of the work in America, the 

 colonies, and on the Continent. We are persuaded, so 

 very general is the use of the English language among 

 the scientific men of all parts of the world, that so soon 

 I as this omission is remedied, the foreign circulation of 

 I the " Geological Record " wiU equal or even exceed that 

 ! which it already has at home ; while most valuable aid 

 will be given in the preparation of the future volumes of 

 the work by the secretaries of foreign societies and the 

 editors of Continental and American journals sending 

 copies of their publications, immediately that they appear, 

 to the conductors of this important work of reference. 



J. W. J. 



OUR BOOK SHELF 



Lessons on Rigid Dynamics, By the Rev. G. Pirie, M.A. 

 (London : Macmillan and Co., 1875.) 



This work treats of the geometry of motion, D'Alembert's 

 principle, reduction of the expressions for the effective 

 forces, moments and products of inertia, energy, preces- 

 sional motion, and certain differential equations which 

 occur in treating of the subject of Rigid Dynamics. There 

 is an excellent selection of exercises, many of which are 

 worked out, and the answers are in many cases accom- 

 panied by useful hints. The book appears to us to be 

 in every respect an admirable one, and to be a good 

 i troduction to the study of this difficult branch of natural 

 philosophy. W^e agree with Mr. Pirie in thinking that 

 much of the difficulty students find in this subject arises 

 from the explanations which are given in the ordinary 

 text-books being for the most part brief and often, in 

 consequence, obscure. We believe the author's hope that 

 his book may be useful not only to students of natural 

 philosophy, but also to engineers, is likely to be realised. 

 We cordially recommend the book. 



The Secret of the Circle, its Area Ascertained. By Alick 

 Carrick. (London : H. Sotheran and Co. Chiswick 

 Press, 1876.) 



One more contribution to the long list of works on the 

 Circle, put forth with the usual assurance that now the 

 question must be set at rest. " Dedicated with great 

 deference to the different schools of learning and to the 

 intelligence of the public generally in this and other 

 countries, in the confident hope and full belief that the 

 truth pointed out in these pages will soon be acknow- 

 ledged." There is a prefatory notice taking us down to 

 page 16 (there are 48 pages in the pamphlet), from which 

 we learn that the author's name is an assumed one, and 

 that he is now dead. "Introductory" takes us to page 

 39. "The Secret of the Circle, its Area Ascertained," 

 occupies the rest of the book. The Rule given is, 

 " Diameter X radius + four-sevenths " (sic), hence our 



friend tt is equated to 



22 



There are ten figures, some 



pretty to look at, but there is a dearth of letters, and it is 

 often hard to make out what parts are intended in the 

 demonstration. There is much that is true and not new ; 

 for instance, that the inscribed dodecagon is equal to the 

 inscribed square and half that square ; what is new is not 

 proved to be true. Thus to get the result, the circular 

 segment bounded by the side of the dodecagon ought to 



be for his purpose — (radius)', and this is not shown on 



84 

 pp. 44, 45, for it is not proved there that Q contains the 

 nine segments which it is said to contain. Hence we are 

 led to say that the truth about the Circle is not to be 

 found here. 



Australian Heroes. By Charles H. Eden. (Society for 

 Promoting Christian Knowledge). 



Mr. Eden has written a very interesting book. As 

 might be surmised from the title, he has brought into 

 prominence the adventures of the explorers of Australia 

 rather than the results of their explorations. Australia is 

 unlike almost any other country which has been the field 

 of exploration ; its sameness, the dreary lameness of the 

 bulk of the continent, the comparative paucity and low 

 state of the aborigines, deprive an explorer's narrative of 

 many of the points of interest to be met with in the case 

 of other countries — Africa, for example. South America, 

 or even the Arctic regions. Still this little book shows 

 that during the comparatively brief period that Australia 

 has been a field for exploration, there have been plenty of 

 deeds of daring and determination and self-sacrifice in 

 the cause of scientific knowledge, to render any skilfully 



