August i6, 1888] 



NATURE 



36; 



Besides the rarity of some of these plants, they have a 

 habit of entirely disappearing after flowering, and indeed 

 in many cases they will only appear at irregular and long 

 intervals, which also conspires to make them difficult to 

 procure, so that collectors are necessarily anxious to know 

 the time of the year at which they should be looked for in 

 flower, and this the author has where possible added to 

 his description. 



The volume includes, besides the typical Amaryllideae, 

 the Alstrcemeriae and Agaveae, but the Hypoxideae and 

 Vellozieae are omitted on the grounds that they have been 

 elsewhere fully dealt with. This we think a pity, as it 

 would have made the work more complete to have included 

 these groups ; but this will hardly affect cultivators, with 

 whom the Hypoxids are rarely found favourites on ac- 

 count of their comparatively insignificant flowers and 

 general similarity, while the Vellozias, though they would 

 be welcome additions to our stoves on account of their 

 beautiful flowers, yet baffle our gardeners on account of 

 their bulkiness and slow growth. 



In the Agaveae it will be noticed that of many species 

 (in fact, nearly one-third) only the foliage is known. For 

 garden purposes perhaps the form and number of the 

 leaves may be sufficient, at least for identification ; but it 

 cannot be considered satisfactory to publish as new 

 species, and endow with scientific names, plants of which 

 the inflorescence is unknown. The author, however, has 

 but done his duty in incorporating these species into his 

 work. 



One may hope that the publication of this compendium 

 will stimulate our amateur gardeners to turn their atten- 

 tion more carefully to this comparatively neglected group. 

 Already for some time signs have not been wanting to 

 show that they are rising into favour again to some 

 extent. The Narcissi, Hippeastrums, and Crinums are 

 undergoing elaborate cultivation and hybridization by the 

 best of our gardeners with the highest success, and if this 

 hand-book contributes to. the study of this group it will 

 have done its work. H. N. R. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



T. 



Another World; or, The Fourth Dimension. By A 



Schofield, M.D.' (London : Swan Sonnenschein, 1888.) 

 This work consists of seven chapters. The first four— the 

 land of no dimensions, the land of one dimension, the 

 land of two dimensions, and the land of three dimensions 

 —consist of large extracts from " Flatland," with a run- 

 ning commentary upon them, bringing out their salient 

 facts. Indeed, had not " Flatland " been published, the 

 author admits his own book would not have been written. 

 In, Chapter V., the land of four dimensions is mathe- 

 matically considered, and here we have stated, from 

 analogy, the relations of a being in one dimension with 

 that above him and its inhabitants, e.g. one in the third 

 dimension (our world) with the fourth ; and in Chapter VI. 

 the land of four dimensions is considered in relation to 

 ours of three. Chapter VII. considers generally the land 

 of four dimensions, with facts and analogies. The fourth 

 dimension is not discussed on the lines of Mr. Hinton's 

 '" What is the Fourth Dimension ?" but after the mathe- 

 matical side of the question has been considered, our 

 author " further considers the actual facts around us 

 bearing on the question, and compares the deduced laws 

 of the fourth dimension with some of the claims of 

 Christianity as stated in the Bible." Here we must close 

 our notice — as we cannot go into an examination of these 



topics in our columns — with saying that there is much of 

 interest in the pages before us, and for some readers the 

 speculations of" the later chapters may have as much 

 interest as the mathematical certainties of the earlier 

 chapters have for others. 



Euclid s Method, or the Proper Way to Trent on 

 Geometry. By A. H. Blunt. (Shepshed : Freeman, 

 1888.) 

 This booklet consists of an introduction (pp. 3-10), and 

 the method of treating on geometry (pp. 10-23). We let 

 the writer speak for himself: — " In this small work I have 

 attempted to show the proper way to treat on geometry, 

 and which I conceive was the method of Euclid ; for it 

 will be seen that the results are right from the way in 

 which they are arrived at, and that they agree with 

 Euclid's results. It is certain, I think none will deny, 

 that when Euclid composed his ' Geometry,' he did every- 

 thing in it under the guidance of reason and knowledge 

 of what the true method consists in ; but since he has not 

 expressed or shown those reasons (and it would not have 

 been proper, nor would it have been necessary to have 

 done so in his ' Geometry '), they therefore appear to have 

 been known but very little to anyone else since his time, 

 as is evident from the expressions and unjust fault- 

 finding made against him in the writings of modern 

 geometers, which greatly betray their own ignorance of 

 the true method. So long as the true method remains 

 unknown, it is not to be wondered at that men should 

 busy themselves in finding faults with Euclid, his work 

 being so complete and perfect as to leave them but little 

 else to do. Not that I would be understood to mean 

 that his works ought to be accepted in blind submission 

 as everything perfect, or that no faults, if there are any 

 in it, ought to be pointed out"; and so on. Ex pede 

 Herculem ! The author's remarks are made sincerely, 

 and for a certain order of mind his explanations are likely 

 to clear up many points in the Definitions. It is to these 

 only that he confines his attention in pp. 10-23, ar >d ne 

 gives good reasons why Euclid should have taken them 

 in the order he has taken them. This was his object : 

 write, then, Q.E.D., and Vivat Euclides ! 



On the Distribution of Rain over the British Isles during 

 the year 1887. Compiled by G. J. Symons, F.R.S. 

 (London: Edward Stanford, 1888.) !*aj 



Mr. Symons's " British Rainfall" is so well known that 

 we need only say of the present issue that it is in no 

 respect inferior to the preceding volumes of the series. 

 The marked characteristic of 1887 was the prevalence of 

 droughts. According to Mr. Symons, the year has had 

 no equal for widespread deficiency of rainfall since 1788. 

 Naturally, therefore, much space is devoted in this volume 

 to the subject of droughts ; and in one chapter — on 

 " Historic Droughts "—he has brought together, from a 

 variety of sources, a large amount of information that 

 ought to be as interesting to historians as to meteorologists. 

 In the preface Mr. Symons calls special attention to 

 important additions which have been made to our know- 

 ledge of the rainfall of the Lake District.. These have 

 resulted from a grant of ^42 7s. made by the Royal 

 Society from its own funds in 1886. , 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[T/ie Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions 

 expressed by his correspondents. Neither can he under- 

 take 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 communi- 

 cations. ] 



The " Tamaron " of the Philippine Islands. 



A letter, which I have just received from our Corresponding 

 Member, the energetic traveller and naturalist, Prof. J. B. Steere, 



