558 



NATURE 



[April 17, 1890 



bladed grasses. Group X., hairy glasses. Group XII., 

 ribless bladed grasses. Groups VI., IX., and XI. are 

 separately dealt with, but those above-mentioned will 

 sufficiently show the principle upon which the classification 

 is made. 



The figures (diagrams), showing the tapering, obtuse, 

 flat, involute, or imbricate character of the herbage, are 

 exceedingly plain and characteristic, and will be of great 

 assistance to the observer in the field. The leaf-blades, 

 stems, ligules, sheaths, &c., are well shown in cross- 

 sections, and at length. John Wrightson. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Facsimile Atlas to the Early History of Cartography , with 

 Reproductions of the most iinportant Maps printed 

 in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. By A. E. 

 Nordenskiold. Translated from the Swedish original 

 by J. A. Ekelof and Clements R. Markham. (Stock- 

 holm, 1889.) 



In this handsome volume there are 142 pages of letter- 

 press in imperial folio, and 51 plates in double folio. It 

 contains reproductions of about 160 of the rarest and 

 most important maps printed before the year 1600. 

 Among these are the 27 maps of Ptolemy, edited by 

 Schweinheim-Buckinck in Rome, 1478 and 1490 ; maps 

 from Berlinghieri's "Geographia," Firenze, c. 1478 ; Aesch- 

 ler's and CJbelin's "Ptolemy" of 1513 : Reisch Marga- 

 rita Philosophica, of 1503 and 151 5; Lafreri's " Atlas," 

 Romae, c. 1570; Richard Hakluyt's " Petrus Martyr," 

 Paris, 1587, and " Principal Navigations," London, 1599 ; 

 maps of the world, by Ruysch, 1508, Bernardus Sylvanus, 

 1511, Hobmicza, 1512, Apianus, 1520, Laurentius Frisius, 

 1522, Robert Torne, 1527, Orontius Finacus, 1531, Gry- 

 ncEus, 1532, Mercator, 1538, Girava, 1556, de Judaeis, 1593. 

 We find also the first modern printed maps of the northern 

 regions, of the Holy Land, of Central Europe (by Nicolas 

 a Cusa), of France, of Spain, of England, of Russia ; the 

 first charts for the use of mariners published in print ; 82 

 general maps, or maps referring to the New World ; the 

 first modern printed maps of Africa ; the first map illus- 

 trating the distribution of religious creeds, &c. 



As regards the text, chapters i.-iii. contain researches 

 relating to the influence of Ptolemy on modern carto- 

 graphy, his merits and defects, and the different editions 

 of his geography. Of the editions enumerated in 

 bibliographical works, 27 spurious ones are neglected. In 

 chapter iv. a review is given of ancient maps other than 

 Ptolemaic, of the portolanos and their influence on 

 modern geography. Chapter v. treats of the extension of 

 Ptolemy's C>//^i^;«^«^ towards the north and north-west, 

 the pre-Columbian maps of Scandinavia and Greenland, 

 the most remarkable of which is one discovered by 

 Nordenskiold himself in a library at Warsaw (reproduced 

 on Tab. xxx.) Chapter vi. deals with the first maps of the 

 New World, and the then recently discovered parts of 

 Africa and Asia. Here the author draws attention to the 

 hitherto neglected fact that maps from Vasco de Gama's 

 second voyage were printed as early as 15 13 (reproduced 

 in the letterpress. Figs. 8-10). Chapter vii. gives an 

 account of early terrestrial globes, and in chapter viii. — 

 on map projection— the author corrects several errors 

 generally adopted in the history of this part of carto- 

 graphy. In chapter ix. he deals with the end of the early 

 period of cartography, and in chapter x. with the 

 transition to, and the beginning of, the modern period. 

 He brings out the importance of the work of Jacopo 

 Gastaldi, Philip Apianus, Abraham Ortelius, and Gerhard 

 Mercator, in the development of cartography. He also 

 gives, besides a catalogue of the maps in Lafreri's " Atlas," 

 a critical review of Ortelius's celebrated " Catalogus Auc- 

 torum tabularum geographicarum." 



The work is based on Baron Nordenskiold's private 

 collection of ancient printed maps. This collection he 

 began to make many years ago, and it is now rich in 

 documents from the periods reviewed in the present 

 " Atlas." 



The maps have been excellently copied and printed, 

 and the great care taken by the librarian, Mr. W. E. 

 Dahlgren, has secured the correctness of the citations. 

 All geographers who have a right to an opinion on the 

 subject will agree that the work is indispensable to 

 every library in which there is a department devoted to 

 geography. 



Light and Heat. By the Rev. F. W. Aveling, M.A., B.Sc. 

 Second Edition. (London: Relfe Bros., 1890.) 



This is a new edition of a text-book intended to prepare 

 candidates for one of the science subjects of the London 

 matriculation. It has been much improved since its 

 first appearance, but it still treats the subject in a very 

 superficial way. Although no one could seriously study 

 the subject with this as a guide, it is certainly a useful 

 summary of the main facts, and will probably be found 

 serviceable by intending candidates. The coloured plate 

 of spectra has been corrected, but surely this is superflous 

 in a book which does not even describe an ordinary 

 student's spectroscope. The author has fallen into the 

 very common error of stating that the electric arc gives 

 a continuous spectrum, and he also states that the hnes 

 in the spectra of the fixed stars are different from those 

 which characterize sunlight ; whereas in a great many 

 cases they are practically identical. 



There are numerous diagrams, but they are barely of 

 a quality equal to those which would be produced by a 

 student at an examination. The large collection of y. 

 questions and answers will be very useful. aJ 



IVarren's Table and Forjmila Book. By the Rev. Isaac 

 Warren. (London : Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889.) 



We have in this small work a compact and trustworthy 

 set of tables, facts, and formula; which come within the 

 scope of an ordinary education. As a reference book, it 

 should prove most useful, the information it conveys ' 

 being concise and to the point. In addition to the usual 

 tables of weights and measures, &c., we have an account 

 of the physical and electrical units now in use, followed 

 by the most important formulae used in algebra, mensura- 

 tion and trigonometry, and tables of exchange, principal 

 units of value throughout the world, and comparative 

 average values of some important coins, the last of which 

 will doubtless be found useful to those travelling abroad. 

 Some of the most important business forms, such ^s 

 " Form of a Joint Promissory Note," " Form of Foreign 

 Bill of Exchange," &c., are printed in full ; and the work 

 concludes with postal and telegraph rates. On the back 

 of the cover are printed diagrams of a square decimetre 

 and centimetre and a square inch, together with scales of 

 centimetres and inches. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[ TTie Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 

 pressed by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 

 manuscripts intended for this or any other part of Nature, 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications. \ 



" Panmixia." 



The somewhat strained argumentation which Mr. Romanes 

 has devoted in your issue of AjDril 3 (p. 511) to my defence 

 of Mr. Darwin's position in regard to "cessation of selec- 

 tion" and " economy of growth " does not convince me of the 

 justice of the former's claim to have originated new principles "un- 

 fortunately " (to use'his own expression) too late for Mr. Darwin to 

 liave the advantage of correcting himself by their aid. In his 

 letter of March 13 (p. 437) Mr. Romanes lays great stress in 



