416 Bibliographical Notices, 



evidence of the pains-taking lahoiir of their late author in those 

 alterations which have been made in many of them, with the view of 

 introducing those new facts in the structure and physiology of plants 

 which have been brought to light since the publication of the first 

 edition. In fact, these articles furnish a most admirable guide both 

 to the general anatomy and })hysiology of plants, and to the classifi- 

 cation and nomenclature of the lower forms of the vegetable kingdom. 



In the zoological articles, on the other hand, we find a vast im- 

 provement. Systematic zoology has been for some time in a transi- 

 tion state ; and it will probably be many years before we again sit 

 down quietly at the feet of a new Cuvier. In the first edition of 

 this work, the zoological editor, perhaps from a desire to avoid 

 adopting views of too advanced a nature, certainly placed himself 

 rather behind his age ; but in the new edition this is all changed, 

 and the scheme of classification given in the article 'Animal King- 

 dom,' and followed throughout the work, may be looked upon as a 

 very good conservative zoological system. The influence of this 

 change upon the distinct articles is of course very great ; many of 

 them have been completely remodelled, and a great quantity of new 

 articles have been introduced, ])rincipally in connexion with the 

 Foraminifera, Acari, Polyzoa, and Tunicata. To other articles im- 

 portant additions have been made ; and the enormous mass of mate- 

 rials here brought together is now presented to the student in a most 

 convenient form. 



Besides the articles on natural-history subjects, there are several 

 on diseases and morbid products of the animal system, in the inves- 

 tigation of which the microscope comes into play ; and in the present 

 edition we notice that the microscopic detection of adulterations has 

 received a considerable share of attention. 



We had observed a few slight errors and omissions in some of the 

 articles, to which we might have called attention ; but this notice 

 has already extended to such a length, that we cannot, in justice to 

 our readers, do otherwise than pass over them in silence, more espe- 

 cially as they are not of a nature to detract from the general excellence 

 of the book, being in fact rather lajisus pennee than grave faults. 

 But we cannot conclude without calling attention to the almost 

 innumerable figures, many of them coloured, contained in the plates 

 appended to the volume, which have been executed in the most 

 beautiful manner by Mr. Tuffen West. These plates, of which there 

 are no less than forty-five (four new ones having been added to this 

 edition), contain magnified representations of an immense number of 

 objects, — the wonder often being how such an amount of details 

 could have been crammed into the space ; and every figure is accom- 

 panied by a number indicating the magnifying power under which 

 the object is sup])osed to be seen, — a point of the highest importance, 

 for the Avant of which many expensive plates are often of comjiara- 

 tively small value. Taking the number and quality of these plates 

 into consideration, we have no hesitation in saying that the * Micro- 

 graphic Dictionary ' is not only a very good book, but also a very 

 cheap one. 



