July 25, 1889] 



NATURE 



293 



been made to classify the individual plants mentioned under 

 each head, whether alphabetical or scientific, while those 

 under materia medica, oils and oil-seeds, gums and resins, 

 are placed in some sort of scientific classification of the 

 natural orders. Nor is the produce of one plant, though 

 of a similar character, always to be found in the same 

 paragraph. Thus, on p. 40, under roots and tubers, the 

 introduction and importance of the potato are referred to, 

 then comes a paragraph on each of the following : sweet 

 potato, yams, Jerusalem artichokes, turnip, carrot, par- 

 snip, beetroot, onion, parsnip-chervil, salsafy, and radish ; 

 and then, on p. 43, we have another paragraph referring to 

 the potato, especially to the disease and the recent in- 

 troductions of Solamim niaglia and S. Commersoni, which 

 would have been better placed with the account of the 

 potato on p. 41. 



On p. 59 the Souari nut {Caryocar nuciferiaii) is printed 

 Somari nut, and said to be Camelliaceous. Though it is 

 closely allied to the Camellia, it would have been more 

 correct to call it a Ternstroemiaceous plant. It is, 

 however, for the meagre character of the information 

 generally that the book is unsatisfactory. The following 

 examples, taken haphazard, will illustrate our meaning : — 



" The Coriander, the whole fruit oi Coriandrum sativum, 

 L., is cultivated to a small extent in Essex, but is obtained 

 mainly from the Mediterranean and from India." 



" The fruits of Angelica {Angelica Archangelica, L.) 

 are used in Chartreuse, and the leaf- stalks are candied as 

 a sweetmeat " (pp. 66-67). 



Also at pp. 160-61, under "Dyes and Tanning 

 Materials," we find the following : — " Betel Nut {Areca 

 Catechu, L.) is recommended by Mr. Christy." " Canaigre 

 is the root of the Texan Dock {Rumex hyinenosepalus, 

 Torrey), recommended by Mr. Christy." 



" Mimosa extract was sent from Australia as early as 

 1823, but dropped out of notice till recently. In 1880 we 

 imported ^682,296 worth of various bark extracts " 

 (p. 161). 



Though the book is stated to have " special reference 

 to vegetable products introduced during the last fifty 

 years," very few dates of introduction are given, and a 

 large number of the plants referred to were known and 

 valued before the present century. 



Examinatio7t of Water for Sanitary and Technical 

 Purposes. By Henry Leffmann, M.D., Ph.D., and 

 William Beam, M.A. (Philadelphia : P. Blakiston, Son, 

 and Co., 1889.) 

 This volume contains a great deal of clearly stated infor- 

 mation in its 106 pages. The authors have succeeded in 

 the endeavour expressed in their preface to select trust- 

 worthy and practical processes, and to exclude the de- 

 scription of methods not generally employed, with other 

 matters only remotely connected with the subject. So far 

 as organic matter in water is immediately concerned, the 

 "albuminoid ammonia" and the "oxygen-consuming 

 power" are relied upon by the authors. Special 

 prominence is also given to the estimation of chlorine, 

 nitrogen as nitrates and as nitrites (by colorimetric pro- 

 cesses), phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and poisonous 

 metals. A general method of quantitative analysis for 

 technical purposes follows, including the estimation of 

 hardness alkalimetrically, after Hehner — rejecting soap 

 solution altogether — and the estimation of boric acid, after 

 Gooch, as well as the constituents that invariably receive 

 attention. A carefully compiled chapter on the interpre- 

 tation of results, and a few other matters, complete the 

 volume. 



Celestial Motions : A Handy Book of Astronomy. By 

 William Thynne Lynn, F.R.A.S. Sixth Edition. 

 (London : Edward Stanford, 1889.) 

 This is the sixth edition of an interesting little book, 

 which explains briefly the principal facts relating to the 

 motions of celestial bodies, and to the dimensions of those 



belonging to our own system. The information has been 

 brought up to date, and an addition of a chapter on " The 

 Calendar " has been made. In the chapter on the sun we 

 are told that " the solar spots are produced by tearings 

 open of some of the luminous envelopes which surround 

 the sun, so that we see in them to a depth below that of 

 the solar surface." To an ordinary reader this statement 

 would be rather misleading, since no mention is made 

 of the absorption of the sun's light by the descent of the 

 cooler particles on to the solar surface from the upper 

 regions of its atmosphere, the spots thus being made to 

 appear dark and not bright. In chapter x. a short re- 

 ference is made to the refraction, propagation, and aber- 

 ration of light, while in chapter xii. we have a brief 

 sketch of the history of astronomical discovery. The 

 book concludes with an explanation of astronomical and 

 technical terms. 



Science Examination Papers. Part I. Inorganic Chem- 

 istry. By R. Elliot Steel, M.A., F.C.S. (London: 

 George Bell and Sons, 1889.) 



This work, intended for teachers, consists of a series of 

 examination papers arranged in a progressive and logical 

 order. It is divided into two parts, theoretical and prac- 

 tical, and is written, as the author tells us, " not as a cram- 

 book, but as a means of testing the student's knowledge 

 and progress." The first part treats of questions on 

 hydrogen, oxygen, ozone, &c., followed by a set of general 

 questions on the above, concluding with a collection of 

 papers taken from various examinations, such as the 

 London Matriculation, Science and Art Department, 

 Oxford and Cambridge Locals, &c. Part II. deals 

 with questions on simple and mixed salts and elementary 

 quantitative analysis. The work is one of the " School 

 Examination Series" edited by A. M. M. Stedman, and 

 should prove serviceable to those teaching natural science 

 in many of our scho ols. 



A Course of Easy Arithmetical Examples for Beginners. 



By J. G. Bradshaw, B.A. (London : Macmillan and 



Co., 1888.) 

 This is a very elementary book, suitable for the use of 

 young boys. It consists of a collection of simple arith- 

 metical examples. The first part deals with examples in 

 simple and compound addition, subtraction, multiplication, 

 division, and reduction. Part II., which has been in 

 use for over a year in the Junior School at Clifton, treats 

 entirely of vulgar fractions ; Part III., of decimals, prac- 

 tice, and proportion. The various tables used throughout 

 are given at the beginning, and the results of all the 

 examples are collected together at the end. 



The Prospector's Hand-book. By J. W. Anderson, M.A., 

 F.R.G.S, Fourth edition. Pp. 145. (London : Crosby 

 Lockwood and Co., 1889.) 

 The general plan of this book was described on a preceding 

 occasion, so that at present it is only necessary to notice 

 the changes in the new issue. The work, we are told, has 

 been thoroughly revised and enlarged. The enlargement 

 consists of about eight pages of descriptive matter, mainly 

 referring to South Africa ; but the results of the thorough 

 revision do not appear to be very considerable. Nearly 

 all the mistakes and ambiguities in the original descrip- 

 tions of metaUic minerals are unchanged. The author 

 calls attention to an addition descriptive of aluminium 

 and its ores, from which we gather that bauxite is a ferru- 

 ginous clay, a statement that is both original and incor- 

 rect. On pp. 94 and 96, one ton is said to contain 29,166 

 troy ounces, while in the table, on p. 121, i per cent, in 

 an assay return, is given as equivalent to 326 ounces 13 

 dwts. 8 grains per ton. The latter statement is right, the 

 former one is wrong, but the author does not attempt to 

 explain the discrepancy. Perhaps he will do so in the 

 next issue. H. B. 



