February. II, 191 5] 



NATUMM, 



641 



and the use of the word "foliae" and the classi- 

 cal derivations generally require revision. A new 

 edition of so attractive a book will soon be called 

 for. We note that such modern points of interest 

 as the lava-plug of Mt, Pelee and the wanderings 

 of pebbles from Ailsa Craig find a place in this 

 lucid introduction to geology. 



(2) Mr. Siissmilch's work on New South Wales 

 is an enlarged edition of that published in 191 1 

 (see Nature, vol. xc, p. 590). It deals only 

 briefly with surface-features, and is intended for 

 readers who already possess a knowledge of 

 general geology and of the terminology of the 

 science. Such readers, we have reason to believe, 

 are far more prevalent in colonies where mining 

 development has been active than they are in 

 our own islands, where exploration is practically 

 complete. The success of Mr. Siissmilch's book 

 indicates a good educational level in New South 

 \\'ales. It is well illustrated by photographs, 

 maps, and sections ; among the last, those of the 

 Permo-Carboniferous (late Carboniferous and 

 Permian) coal-basins, in which glacial horizons 

 occur, are of especial interest. The fresh-water 

 conditions under which Triassic and Jurassic 

 strata were deposited are dealt with in chapter xi. , 

 and the origin of the artesian water is touched on 

 at the close. The latest publication, by the by, on 

 this important and much-disputed question has 

 been issued by the Department of Mines for New 

 South Wales (E. F. Pittman, on "The Great 

 Australian Artesian Basin "), and contains a de- 

 tailed criticism of Prof. Gregory's views on the 

 magmatic nature of the supply. Mr. Siissmilch 

 ■"prefers at present to suspend judgment," and 

 Mr. Pittman 's paper, with its remarkably exten- 

 sive bibliography, must now be consulted by those 

 who are willing to go further. 



The vegetation of successive jjeriods in Australia 

 is fully as interesting as the faunas. That of the 

 Cretaceous period is known in New South Wales 

 by conifers alone. The Glossopteris flora marks 

 the Permo-Carboniferous horizons, while a 

 Rhacopteris flora characterises the underlying 

 Carboniferous beds (p. 89). We note that 

 Archaeopteris is quoted from the Lower Devonian 

 estuarine shales of the Genoa River and from the 

 Rhacopteris series in the Carboniferous. The 

 author (p. 84) inclines to divide the " so-called 

 Gympie beds," placing some of them, containing 

 Lepidodendron australe, with the Lepidodendron 

 beds of Devonian age. 



The pictures of fossils are excellent, and the 

 book is a pleasant addition to the growing library 

 of the empire. Misprints are extremely rare ; the 

 spelling " Kosciusko " has long received geo- 

 graphical sanction. G. A. J. C 



NO. 2363, VOL. 94] 



OVR BOOKSHELF. 



Logic, Diiducti'i}c and' Inducpive.' .^ By./Carveth 

 Read. . Fourth JEdition. Pp, xvi-f4i7. (Lon- 

 don: A. Moring, Ltd., 1914.) Price 6j, 

 As this is the. fourth edition — though enlarged 

 and partly re-written— of the work under notice, 

 it is not necessary to review it in detail. It is 

 sufficient to mention, by way of reminder, that 

 for the most part it follows the schemes of J. S. 

 Mill and Prof. Bain, beginning with propositions 

 and terms, and moving through the syllogism to 

 induction, then dealing with causation, hypotheses, 

 and fallacies. Perhaps the treatment of hypo- 

 theses might be noticed as specially interesting 

 and good, the difference between hypothesis and 

 theory being well brought out. Also, the nature 

 of proof, e.g., is very neatly put: "If a new 

 agent be proposed, it is desirable that we should 

 be able directly to observe it, or at least to obtain 

 some evidence of its existence of a different kind 

 from the very facts which it has been invented 

 to explain " (p. 270). It is also well pointed out 

 that science is a "way of thinking," and that 

 though we inevitably follow perceptual analogies 

 in our hypotheses — ^thinking of atoms and aether 

 as perceptible things, which they are not — these 

 hypotheses are useful even if wrong. There is no 

 reason to be afraid of inventing an hypothesis. 

 Ockham's razor may be too vigorously plied. 

 We live bv hypotheses in the affairs of daily life. 

 If I lose my fountain-pen, I guess where it is, 

 and then go to verify or disprove. So with science, 

 the discoveries of which are often inspired guesses. 



Oxford Outline Maps. Edited by Prof. A. J. 

 Herbertson. (Oxford University Press.) Price 

 id. net each, gd. net for 12 of one kind, 15. 4J. 

 net for 25 of one kind. 

 These outline maps have been drawn for use io 

 the exercises contained in the text-books of 

 geography, of which Prof. Herbertson is the 

 author, issued by the same publishers, but they 

 will accompany usefully other modern class-books 

 of geography. The maps are clear and well 

 chosen, and are evidently the work of a carto- 

 grapher familiar with the needs of schools. 



Air, Water, and Food from a Sanitary Stand- 

 point. By A. G. Woodman and J. F. Norton. 

 Pp. V. -f 248. Fourth edition, (New York : 

 John ^^'iley and Sons. London : Chapman and 

 Hall, Ltd., 1914.) Price 8s. 6d. net. 

 The first edition of this book, which was by the 

 late Mrs. Ellen H. Richards and Prof. A. G. 

 Woodman, was reviewed in the issue of Natire 

 for October 25, 1900 (vol. Ixii, p. 620). The 

 book was first written from a " missionary " 

 point of view, but actually became used in col- 

 leges and technical schools, and the present 

 authors have changed somewhat the character 

 of parts of the volume. All the discussion on 

 air and water has been rewritten, the section on 

 milk has been recast, and numerous addition.* 

 have been made throughout. 



