November 19, 19 14] 



NATURE 



505 



rainfall. The climate of C^'prus is first discussed 

 (P- 35) ori account of its contrast with that of 

 Mongonui in New Zealand. The world-wide 

 view of phenomena is never absent, and a pupil 

 who reads these pag-es will cease to reg"ard the 

 British Empire as so many isolated red patches 

 on a map 



The various divisions of the Empire are 

 arrang-ed according- to their climatic conditions. 

 British Columbia is thus treated, as having- a 

 "maritime temperate climate," apart from Canada 

 cast of the Rockies, which "may be more justly 

 compared with eastern Europe and temperate 

 Asia." Agriculture and forestry are properly 

 regarded as the fundamental industries that depend 

 on climate, and rnany interesting- statements are 

 made as to the modes in which labour-diflficulties 

 have been met. The questions and exercises 

 encourage further reading; we are, for instance, 

 asked to consider the right food for our coolies, 

 and what we should sell, as Egyptian peasants, in 

 order to pay our taxes. We have noticed only one 

 tiny slip; the question on p. 333, " \\'hy do you 

 think the islanders rejoice so greatly when this 

 worm appears? " does not quite express the mean- 

 ing of the author. 



(2) Dr. Mort describes the British Isles in the 

 modern manner that now appeals to secondary 

 schools, and his references to the g-eologfical struc- 

 ture of the country are sufficient to lead the pupil 

 to ask for more. In later work a school may 

 well use the volume on the g-eog-raphy of its own 

 county provided by the same educational press, 

 and it will be found that Dr. Mort has laid a good 

 foundation for more detailed local study. Refer- 

 ences to castles and the holding- of g-aps make 

 us inclined to think that more might be made of 

 the influence of structural features upon British 

 history. No youngf mind that can appreciate the 

 rise of the industries of Sheffield or of ship-build- 

 ing on the Clyde should remain unmoved at Port- 

 naspania or the Roman Wall. The references to 

 the Devon seamen (p. 133) are admirable. The 

 illustrations are well selected to show varied types 

 of scenery. The scarped plateau of Ben Bulben 



I'ig. 79) is due to limestone, and not, as is stated, 

 I Millstone Grit. 



(3) Mr. Macnair's acquaintance with the geo- 

 log)'- as well as the antiquities of his country 

 makes him an excellent g-uide to the mountainous 

 lands of Argyll and Bute. This volume of the 

 Cambridg-e Geog-raphies is issued with rounded 

 f ornersj and is thus all the better as a companion 

 tor the numerous travellers who start from 

 *ilasgow for the sea-lochs and the isles. General 

 considerations are introduced in the earlier pagfes, 

 and we notice that the author, while layingf stress 



NO. 1X^\. VOL. QaI 



; on glacial erosion, points out that the fiords have 

 been developed " along the geological grain of the 

 country," and sometimes across this grain. He 

 does not, however, refer to the probability of the 

 weakening of the land by cross-fractures before 

 the ice-action set in. We are glad to see an 

 Oligocene rather than an Eocene age assigned 

 (p. 22) to the Cainozoic lavas. The account of the 

 geology of Arran is also well brought up to date. 

 In the index to the geological map, however, the 

 word "chalk" should be "Cretaceous"; and 

 should not "ferriferous," on p. 59, be "ferrous "? 



The diminution of the highland population 

 through the attraction of other fields is strikingly 

 seen in the fact that Argyll, on the edge of the 

 prosperous Central \'alley, has lost 30 jjer cent, 

 of its population since 1831. The county wrs 

 long a battle-ground, owing to its position be- 

 tween the lowland and the western isles, and the 

 author well remarks that perhaps the greatest 

 date in its histor}' was the arrival of Columba at 

 lona in 563. 



(4) London remains the home of sincere 

 amateurs in natural history, and the quiet woods 

 and byways on the edges of its basin in these 

 days tempt the walker more and more. Mr. 

 Davies guides us from convenient railway-stations 

 to view-points or famous sections where we 

 may appreciate the structure of the hills. A good 

 coloured geolop^ical map is given as a frontis- 

 piece, and this handy book should soon become 

 known to London students, and also to visitors 

 from the Continent. G. A, J. C. 



NATURE STUDY FOR SCHOOL AND 

 HOME. 

 (i) .4 First Course in Plant and Animal Biology. 

 By W. S. Furneaux. Pp. viii + 232. 

 (London: University Tutorial Press, Ltd., 

 1914.) Price 25. 



(2) A First School Botany. By E. M. Goddard. 

 Pp. xiii-f-191. (London : Mills and Boon, Ltd., 

 1914.) Price 2s. 6d. 



(3) Pond Problems. By E. E. Unwin. Pp. xvi 

 + 119. (Cambridge: L^niversity Press, 1914.) 

 Price 2s. net. 



(4) Wild Life in the Woods and Streams. By 

 C. A. Palmer. Pp. xv + 206. (London : A. 

 and C. Black, 1914.) Price ^s. 6d. 



(5) The English Year: Summer. By W. B. 

 Thomas and A. K, CoUett. Pp. viii + 341. 

 (London : T. C. and E. C. Jack, 1914.) Price 

 I OS. 6d. net. 



TO-DAY the junior student of biology has his 

 attention directed to function and be- 

 haviour, rather than to those structural features 

 which claimed almost exclusivelv the interest of 



