5o6 



NATURE 



[April 2, 1896 



which this dangerous substance deserves, and manufac- 

 turers and users of it will find much valuable information 

 regarding precautionary measures in dealing with this 

 explosive or with the dynamites, of which it forms prac- 

 tically the only explosive ingredient. But neither gun- 

 cotton nor dynamite would be of much service without 

 the detonator, which consists of a copper capsule filled 

 with that curious substance, fulminate of mercury. The 

 production of this material is briefly described, and an 

 attempt is made to elucidate its chemical constitution ; 

 the subsequent charging of caps and detonators is dealt 

 with at greater length. In connection with the late 

 terrible explosion of dynamite at Johannesburg, it is 

 stated that the detonators and dynamite were carried in 

 the same railway truck ; and if this really were so, no 

 surer means of producing an " accidental " explosion 

 could have been devised. 



Users of the so-called safety explosives — ammonite, 

 bellite, &c. — will be interested in tracing the preparation 

 of the different ingredients, the principal of which is 

 generally one of the nitro-compounds of benzene. 



The subject of smokeless powders is treated well, and 

 the different machines used are illustrated in such a 

 manner as to show their general construction and essen- 

 tial parts. The manufacture of cordite, as carried out 

 at the Government factory at Walthatm Abbey, is one of 

 the most interesting, inasmuch as it is the powder adopted 

 by the War Office for use in rifles and in guns of all 

 calibres. The procedure is, however, somewhat varied 

 in private factories, as, for instance, the cordite paste, 

 instead of being mixed by hand, is sometimes mixed 

 more or less mechanically under water, and in conse- 

 quence handling the paste is to a large extent dispensed 

 with. Handling substances containing nitro-glycerine 

 for the first time frequently produce most distressing 

 symptoms, due to the absorption of the nitro-glycerine 

 by the skin, the operator being seized with violent 

 headache, or often with vomiting ; these symptoms, 

 however, rapidly disappear in the course of a day or 

 two. The complexion of those employed is much 

 improved, and on this account there is a great com- 

 petition for employment among the young women 

 of the district, it being considered a sure road to 

 matrimony. 



The last portion of the work is devoted, more or less, 

 to the description of the apparatus used in the examina- 

 tion of explosives ; some of the instruments belonging, 

 let us hope, to a bygone age, are of the most crude 

 description, but there are included some of the more 

 refined instruments employed at the present time. Very 

 little, indeed, is said about the results obtained from 

 ordinary powder, or from the modern explosives ; and to 

 those who are interested in the new powders as pro- 

 pelling agents, the question of the energy that can be 

 developed by them, and the conditions under which such 

 energy can be efficiently and satisfactorily utilised, is of 

 the highest importance. So far as we know, the most 

 complete and extensive series of experiments on this sub- 

 ject, and on certain kindred researches, has been made 

 in this country principally at Elswick, and some in- 

 teresting results have been obtained. 



Should a new edition of the work be called for, no 

 NO. 1379, VOL 53] 



doubt some of the debatable points would receive revision; 

 and we would also recommend the author not to make 

 the same indiscriminate use of the Centigrade and 

 Fahrenheit thermometric scales which appears in the 

 present edition ; both volumes, however, show very 

 conclusively the large amount of engineering skill Mr. 

 Guttmann has brought to bear in their production. 



H. 



ENTOMOLOGY AND EVOLUTION. 

 Handbuch der paldarktischen Gross-Schmetterlinge fiir 



Forscher imd Saiiunler. Von Dr. M. Standfuss. Pp. 



xii + 392 ; eight plates. (Jena : Gustav Fischer, 1896.) 

 T T has long been recognised that the class of insects is 

 ■*- particularly rich in good material for the elucidation 

 of many important biological problems ; and in the hands 

 of Bates, Wallace, Meldola, Poulton, Merrifield, Fritz 

 Midler, Weismann and others both in this country and 

 abroad, to say nothing of Darwin himself, the lepidoptera, 

 and especially the butterflies, have been largely turned to 

 account in elaborating the details of the picture of organic 

 evolution. Notwithstanding all that has been done both 

 by way of observation and experiment in this direction, 

 it can hardly be questioned that the author of the book 

 before us is right in asserting that the work of systematic 

 entomologists has not been made so profitable to science 

 as it might have been ; and that entomological literature 

 has hitherto been overlooked, with some justice, by 

 scientific zoologists. In re-editing with large additions 

 his former useful " Handbuch fiir Sammler der europa- 

 ischen Gross-Schmetterlinge," Dr. Standfuss has pro- 

 posed to himself the laudable aim of raising the 

 " Cinderella of the Sciences " to a position more worthy 

 of her intrinsic merit ; and his method of so doing is to 

 combine a full account of his own experiments and 

 speculations on various points of biological interest with 

 the practical directions of a manual for collectors. The 

 result is the substantial volume before us, which the 

 author hopes will serve as a stimulus to the " mere 

 collector " to direct some of his energies into channels 

 which may lead to really important scientific results. 

 There can be no doubt that Dr. Standfuss has thrown 

 himself into his task with great vigour and enthusiasm. 

 The experiments recorded in this book were conducted 

 on a very large scale, and must have laid a severe tax on 

 the industry and perseverance of their originator. Any 

 one with experience in this direction will have some idea 

 of what is involved in the rearing of more than 7000 

 lepidopterous larvtc through their various stages, under 

 varyiiig conditions, and in keeping full records of the 

 results. Whether the ordinary collector will be stirred 

 into emulation of these achievements is perhaps 

 doubtful, but Dr. Standfuss has certainly done his best 

 to show him how much interest may attach to the study 

 of butterflies and moths when conducted with a definite 

 scientific object. 



The practical part of the book needs little comment. 

 It treats of the usual topics to be found in woi'ks of the 

 kind in a plain and serviceable manner. The advice 

 given is sound and sensible, and bears evidence of bein- 

 the fruit of the author's own experience. We note that 



