August 29, 1889] 



NATURE 



413 



brief account of the equilibrium theory, Prof. Darwin's 

 version of Laplace's dynamical solution is laid under 

 contribution. 



The last four chapters of the book are devoted to 

 viscous fluids, and include, besides the theorems usually 

 given, the oscillatory motion of a sphere and cylinder, 

 published first by Stokes in 1850, and also a solution, due 

 to the author, of the motion of a sphere under any forces. 

 In this latter, certain integrals suggested by the theory of 

 conduction of heat are used to obtain the equation of 

 motion of the sphere, the solution of which can be obtained 

 by approximation. 



Certain miscellaneous theorems find a place in the last 

 chapter, including an article on the effects of viscosity on 

 a vortex sheet, which plainly has an important bearing on 

 the practical determination of the stability of such a 

 sheet 



The very full array of references to original papers 

 adds considerably to the usefulness of this work, which 

 is in all respects one of the most valuable on mathe- 

 matical subjects that has appeared for some time. The 

 results are accurate, the discussion of each branch is 

 thorough and complete, and the analytical methods are 

 powerful and in touch with the most recent develop- 

 ments. 



THE LAND OF MANFRED. 



The Land of Manfred, Prince of Tarentum, and King 

 of Sicily : Ram '>les in Remote Parts of Southern Italy, 

 with Special Reference to their Historical Associa- 

 tions. By Janet Ross. Illustrated by Carlo Orsi. 

 (London: John Murray, 1889.) 



'■jTHATpart of Italy lying to the south-east, forming 

 •L the "heel," was once a land full of stirring events, 

 but it has long lapsed into a state of semi-oblivion ; to 

 tell of its past glories and its present prospects is the 

 object of this charming little volume by Mrs. Ross. 



Italy seems possessed of powers of rejuvenescence, and 

 the time appears approaching for the revival of some of 

 the past glories of this " Land of Manfred." The tra- 

 veller from Naples can now journey by rail from Naples 

 to Taranto and Brindisi, and thence by the East Coast 

 line north to Ban and Manfredonia ; but, to get some 

 idea of the beauty of this fair portion of Italy, one must 

 leave the iron road and wander over flowery meads, climb 

 up the gently sloping hills crowned with many an ancient 

 castle and overlooking the grey olive gardens and out to 

 the blue encircling sea ; then in some measure can the 

 land's loveliness be comprehended. This district of 

 Apulia is not only out of the range of the ordinary 

 tourist, but is even to this moment so little known to 

 the inhabitants of Northern Italy that it is regarded by 

 them as not safe to travel in ; the newly-made lines of 

 railway, the building of a great harbour for the Italian 

 fleet at Taranto, will no doubt speedily dissipate such 

 notions. These pages of Mrs. Ross's will undoubtedly 

 tempt many of her compatriots to visit this fair unknown 

 land, to its and the travellers' benefit ; and they will also 

 show that the perils of Apulia consist solely in bad inns 

 — a peril getting less and less each season. 



Many of the towns along the coast were visited by 

 Mrs. Ross, and the leading events connected with their 

 history are very graphically described; such as Manfred- 

 onia, Trani, Barletta, Bari, Brindisi, Otranto, and Tar- 

 anto. Of the more remarkable inland places visited 

 may be mentioned Castel del Monte, P'oggia, Lucera, 

 and Benevento. 



As the chief events associated with each city or town are 

 recorded, it is difficult to make a selection. At Bari the 

 immense fortress- like priory attracted deserved attention ; 

 the crypt is described as formed of pillars, apparently in- 

 numerable, with their capitals richly carved in every 

 conceivable design. Under the silver altar were the 

 bones of St. Nicholas. The Cathedral of St. Sabinus 

 was even more ancient than the Priory of St. Nicholas, 

 its crypt being said to have existed in 733. 



To tell of all the churches and cathedrals mentioned, and 

 castles and fortresses described, would be but to reprint the 

 volume, so we must content ourselves with transcribing the 

 charming description given of Sir James Lacaita's residence 

 at Leucaspide. The loggia, or arcade, running all along 

 the south-west front of Leucaspide, overhangs a garden 

 full of orange trees, wallflowers, stocks, Parma violets, 

 carnations, and roses ; beyond, an expanse of brilliant 

 green corn grown under the colossal olive trees, said to 

 be 2000 years old ; then a belt of cultivated land, across 

 which now and then the white smoke of a rushing train 

 reminds us that we really are in the nineteenth century ; 

 and last a long line of dark pines, which fringe the Gulf of 

 Taranto. On the opposite side of the Bay rise the Basili- 

 cata Mountains, tipped with snow, and further to the left, 

 dimly perceptible on a clear day, are the wild and rugged 

 hills of Calabria. The whole country is redolent of rose- 

 mary, and in the Gravina or deep ravine of Leucaspide, 

 the myrtle, white and pinkgum-cistus, the lentick and wild 

 pears, were in a blaze of bloom. Troops of small black 

 sheep, with eyes like topazes, graze upon thyme and other 

 fragrant herbs among the rocks, while their shepherd 

 dressed in a waistcoat and trousers of goat-skin, all made 

 in one, leans against a tree or a wall, and plays wild and 

 melancholy music on a little pipe made out of a cane. 



The clever sketches by Carlo Orsi assist in illustrating 

 a country about which Mrs. Ross tells us much, but 

 about which it seems evident there is much more to be 

 told, and about which we may hope to have from the 

 same pen some still further details. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



The Zoology of the Afghan Delimitation Commission. 

 (Trans. Linn. Soc, Zoology, Vol. V., Part III.) By J. 

 E. T. Aitchison, M.D., CLE., F.R.S., &c. 



Although this is very far from being a complete account 

 of the fauna of North-Western Afghanistan, there is good 

 reason to congratulate the author on his success in collect- 

 ing a fairly representative series of the animals inhabiting 

 the frontiers between Afghan and Russian territory. As 

 Dr. Aitchison explains, his special calling is that of a 

 botanist, and he undertook the office of collecting the 

 fauna under considerable difficulties. The specimens 

 obtained, representing 16 mammals, 123 birds, 35 reptiles, 

 2 batrachians, 7 fishes, about 100 insects, and a few 

 Arachnida, Myriopoda, and Crustacea^ were determined, 

 and the new forms described, by the officers of the British 



