October i i, 1900] 



NA TURE 



571 



by adding a chapter whicli should drive home to this 

 somewhat apathetic class of learners that botany is 

 no longer to be looked upon by them as a luxury or 

 hobby, or as an interesting adjunct to the study of agri- 

 culture, but it must be regarded as the fundamental 

 science on which all agricultural operations must be 

 based ; and such a chapter should make it perfectly clear 

 that the neglect of the principles and facts it embraces is 

 going to spell ruin in the future, just as the intelligent 

 appreciation of its teachings is going to render the 

 properly trained and equipped planter, forester or farmer, 

 master of the situation his forefathers misunderstood. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 

 Sur^oeyittff and Explorittir in Siam. By James McCarthy, 

 F.R.G.S., Director-General of the Siamese Govern- 

 ment Surveys. Pp. xii -f 215, (London : John Murray, 

 1900.) 



About the year 1880 the Siamese Government became 

 convinced of the necessity of accurate surveys for frontier 

 delimitation, and then it was that Mr. McCarthy com- 

 menced the long series of explorations which are 

 recorded in the present work, and which have won for 

 him the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society. 

 To the student of Indo-China, Mr. McCarthy's book 

 is full of extremely valuable information regarding the 

 aboriginal and mountain races of the highlands of the 

 interior, with whom the nature of the author's work 

 brought him into constant contact. Mr. McCarthy has 

 a sympathetic eye for his fellow travellers, and a kindly 

 word for all but the most obstructive of the native 

 officials. From obstruction by this class, the officers of 

 the Siamese Survey have indeed suffered probably more 

 than any other European officials of the Government ; 

 inasmuch as the Survey was practically the pioneer 

 department of the modern regime, and it had to contend 

 against the whole of the forces of conservatism, super- 

 stition and suspicion which were at the outset arrayed 

 against all innovation of the kind. Against these, for 

 many years, Mr. McCarthy battled almost single-handed, 

 carrying out meantime slowly and laboriously the triangu- 

 lation of the frontier districts, and himself training his 

 own assistants. The physical difficulties of the country, 

 which can only be thoroughly appreciated by those who 

 have experienced them, and the inevitable sickness which 

 attacks all who spend the wet season in the jungle, further 

 delayed and hampered the work. Ihe author makes 

 light of the difficulties which had to be overcome, but 

 those who read between the lines will see how formidable 

 they were. 



.■\s may be supposed, the book is in no way popular 

 or sensational, and the author's dry, matter-of-fact style 

 does not lend itself to picturesque narrative. Yet politics on 

 the north-eastern frontier of Siam during the incursions of 

 the Haw bandits, in the 'eighties, were exciting enough. 

 If one desired to be critical, one might say that the book 

 is composed of short sentences and scrappy and incom- 

 plete descriptions. Yet these faults will be condoned by 

 all who take an interest in scientific geography for the 

 sake of the admirable scientific results of Mr. McCarthy's 

 work. And those who seek to know more of the mag- 

 nificent plateau of Teng, the highest peaks of Indo- 

 China, or the very interesting hill tribes, such as the 

 Ka, Lamet, Meo and Yao, and the Southern Shan races 

 generally, will find more accurate information in the 

 present work than in any other we are acquainted with. 



An excellent index, triangulation charts, and a map 

 of Siam in two sheets, with a number of illustrations, 

 complete a work which forms an important addition to 

 the bibliography of Eastern Asia. 



NO. 1615. VOL. 62] 



Church Stretton. Vol. i. Geology, by E. S. Cobbold ; 

 Macro-Lepidoptera^ by F. B. Newnham ; Molluscs, by 

 Robert A. Buddicom. Edited by C. W. Campbell- 

 Hyslop. Pp. 196. (Shrewsbury : L. Wilding.) 

 This is an excellent piece of work, and reflects much 

 credit upon those who originated the idea of preparing 

 an account of the scientific features of the Church 

 Stretton district, and also upon the contributors, editor 

 and publisher of the present volume. Church Stretton is a 

 market-town about twelve miles south by west of Shrews- 

 bury, Shropshire, and has a population of about 20cmd. The 

 district is interesting from a geological point of view, 

 and Mr. Cobbold's notes (which occupy the greater part 

 of the book) will be valuable to geologists visiting it for 

 the first time, and will also give residents a new interest 

 in their rambles. Most of the fossiliferous localities and 

 the main rock exposures are mentioned or described, so 

 that any one interested in the geological and topo- 

 graphical characteristics can readily find them. 



Mr. Newnham gives a descriptive catalogue of the 

 macro-lepidoptera found in the neighbourhood of Church 

 Stretton. The district is a fair field and good hunting- 

 ground for the entomologist, many insects being found 

 in it which do not occur in the lower-lying parts of 

 Shropshire. Future collectors will find the catalogue 

 exceptionally valuable, and will doubtless be able to 

 supplement it. 



A list of the land and fresh-water molluscs, with notes 

 on the habits of each species and its comparative local 

 scarcity and abundance, is given by Mr. R. A. Buddi- 

 com. The total number of species of British land and 

 fresh-water molluscs is reckoned at 138 (not counting 

 slugs) of which 42 have been found in or near Stretton. 

 A plate containing illustrations of 37 species, natural 

 size, photographed from actual specimens, accompanies 

 Mr. Buddicom's paper. 



Other monographs, on the botany, archicology, 

 climatology and ornithology of the district, are in prepara- 

 tion, and if they are of the character of this one they 

 will afford pleasure to every resident or visitor in Church 

 Stretton who has an interest in the study of outdoor 

 nature. The district is fortunate in possessing such a 

 useful guide to its natural characteristics. 



Surveying with the Tacheometer. By N. Kennedy. 



Pp. vi -f 104. (London: Crosby Lockwood and Son, 



1900.) 

 This handy little volume is put forward in the hope of 

 bringing the tacheometer into more general use among 

 land surveyors, its present position in the background 

 being due chiefly, the author thinks, to the fact of the 

 Continental instruments having hitherto been provided 

 with circles divided with 100° to a right angle, instead of 

 90°, thus necessitating special reduction tables. The 

 publication of a universal method of reduction, no matter 

 what the division value, by Mr. G. Gilman removes the 

 greater part of these objections. 



The tacheometer is first minutely described, excellent 

 illustrations being provided for reference, the only 

 essential difference from a good transit theodolite being 

 the insertion of a subsidiary lens between the objective 

 and eye-piece, which, by special adjustment, enables the 

 angular distance between two wires in the eye- piece to be 

 made equal to any desired quantity, decided by calibra- 

 tion on a previously measured base. Subsequent sections 

 deal with the variations introduced by working on inclined 

 ground, details of actual field and office work, concluding 

 with some suggestions on possible methods of utilising 

 existing transit theodolites for tacheometric work. Ex- 

 amples of entries in field-book, plans of surveys, &c., are 

 given at the end of the book. The work is very clearly 

 written, and should remove all difficulties in the way of 

 any surveyor desirous of making use of this useful and 

 rapid instrument. 



