♦ KNO^VLEDGE ♦ 



refeiTed to ; and then a paragraph on the lamp, and some 

 simple directions for identifying the brighter stars com- 

 jilete the volume. All this is given in the tone and 

 manner of a skilled and genial instructor who, with his 

 pupil by his side, makes him go step by step through the 

 various adjustments of the instrument, and stands by to 

 note and point out any erroneous method of observation. 

 We have detected two or three misprints, which should 

 be corrected in the inevitable second edition. On page 

 8, line 2, "handsomely" is almost certainly meant for 

 some other word ; while on the bottom line of the foot- 

 note on page 26, "form" is printed for "sum." The 

 silliest errata, however, appear on pages 28 and 40. On 

 pages 3, 14, 17, i-c, we read absolutely correctly 20", 

 10", 35'-5", 29'-35", 32'-15-8", 21" respectively for 20 

 seconds of arc, 10 seconds of arc, and so on ; but in the 

 two places indicated the dimensions of boxes are given as 

 16" long X 10" wide x 9" high, and 18"xl2"xl"— 

 which is utterly senseless and meaningless in a book 

 dealing with angular measurement. Evidently, if these 

 boxes were placed a mile off, to subtend these angles 

 number one must be 24-57 feet x 15-36 x feet x 13-82 feet, 

 and number two 27-65 feet x 18-43 feet x 1-53 feet! 

 These extremely few obviously typographical errata, 

 though, cannot be held to detract from the value of a 

 volume which should be obtained by ivci-v one wliu juay 

 ever have occasion to use a sextant litliLi- ;it \iinin- ur 

 abroad. When we add that its diniciiM-ns an- C, iiirhes 

 long by 4| inches wide, and ^th incli tliirk, it will at 

 once be .seen that it is as jDortable as it is good and 

 trustworthy. 



Wild Flou-ers worth Notice. By Mrs. Lankestee. 

 (London : W. H. Allen & Co. 1885.)— How a certain 

 amount of knowledge, and the power of identification, of 

 the vast number of curious and beautiful plants wliich 

 stud our woods, fields, and hedges, adds to the charm 

 and pleasure of a country ramble, must be experienced 

 to be appreciated. In the volume before us Mrs. 

 Lankester offers herself as a guide to all who wish to 

 acquii-e this enviable accomplishment, and by the aid of 

 plainly-worded descriptions and a profusion of coloured 

 illustrations, really does supply a very considerable 

 amount of information indeed. This is a book to be 

 studied before starting on a country jaunt, and carried in 

 the traveller's pocket, that he may recognise flowers on 

 the spot. As far as we have been able to test the work, 

 we have noted only one mistake, and that occurs in 

 Plate II., where the figure of the prickly poppy is 

 lettered "Horn Poppy," and that of the real horn poppy 

 " Prickly Poppy." How such an obvious blunder passed 

 the keen scrutiny of our authoress we cannot conceive. 



French-PoUshing. By A Practical Man. With forty- 

 two illustrations. (London : Wymans & Sons.) — This 

 fresh volume of Wyman's Technical Series is distin- 

 guished by the same thoroughness that has characterised 

 its predecessors. Whoever its author may be, he has 

 amply justified his nom-de-plume, for his book is practical 

 from beginning to end. Moreover, French-polishing 

 proper, exhaustively as it is treated, occupies a compara- 

 tively small portion of the work, which contains, besides, 

 directions for repairing and matching furniture and 

 inlaid work, imitating various woods and marbles, stain- 

 ing, stencilling, ebonising, and varnishing, and is, in fact, 

 crammed with information. No one who is ever engaged 

 in the multifarious operations of which it treats should 

 be without it. 



Catch Questions in Arithmetic and Mensiiratioii, and 

 How to Solve Thein. By Rev. A, D. Capel, M.A. 

 (London : Joseph Hughes. 1885.) — Just now an interne- 



war is being waged betwei 



the 



ap- 



vanous competitive i 

 examiners rack their 

 questions, and the 

 to circumvent them, 

 prepared for the use 

 really renders yeoma 

 " coaches " generally, 

 master the host of ' 



Commissioners c 

 , who prepare pupils for the 

 minations, on the other. The 

 ;enuity to devise catch and trap 

 employ all their diligence 

 Mr. Capel's manual, ostensibly 

 of candidates for matriculation, 

 's service to the noble army of 

 The student who can contrive to 

 iges " and artifices here set forth, 

 may face the arithmetical examiner with the lightest of 

 hearts. 



The Young Collector. British Butterflies, Moths, and 

 Beetles. By W. F. Kirby. (London : W. Swan Sonnen- 

 schein & Co. 1885.) — The commendation we bestowed on 

 p. 483 of our last volume on Mr. Kirby's Entomological 

 Text-book may be extended most unhesitatingly and 

 ungrudgingly to the really admirable and ab.surdly cheap 

 manual whose title heads this notice. In truth, tlie 

 incipient entomologist will do himself an injustice 

 if he does not procure it. Not the least striking 

 thing in it is the curiously faithful way in which insect 

 markings are reproduced in the mere black and white of 

 ordinary wood-engraving. In fact, as we remarked on a 

 previous occasion, in the case of insects with whose 

 colours the reader is familiar, it is not easy to persuade 

 himself that he is not viewing such colours themselves in 

 the illustrations with which the wcrk ulxiuiids. It is a 

 book to be bought by everyone' \'.l > ^in _'. t diiir of the 

 sound of Bow bells, if it be only '' : : I , in ihe year. 



Snccessful Adi-ertising ; its ^ /. , , .-7. By 



Thomas Smith. Seventh anniwl i.^.-5uc. (Luiulon: 15, 

 Wine OtEce-court, E.G.) — Mr. Smith's amu.sing book 

 does what it professes to do : explains how, whj-, where, 

 and when to advertise with the certainty of ensuring 

 success. It contains a quantity of statistics illu-ti'iitijig 

 its subject, and a list of the various new.spi |m r.-. j-iirii:;Is, 

 and magazines published in London and il- | r-\ :i;ri-s, 

 with their circulation, and notices of the v.iiinns classes 

 among which they do circulate and which they severally 

 specially address. Hence tradesmen, the directors of 

 public companies, publishers, and others, may learn for 

 themselves what medium to select to bring their spe- 

 cialities prominently before those immediately interested 

 in them. Every advertiser may get a " wrinkle " out of 

 this volume. 



Magic Squares. Neiv Methods, embracing a General 

 Method. (Dundee: R. S. Barrie. 1885.)— This, in a 

 very compact form, practically covers the whole question 

 of the formation of " magic squares," and may be com- 

 mended to all who are interested in a very pretty arith- 

 metical recreation. 



The Sra.?u,i. July, 1885. (London : the Season Office.) 

 — Witliout discussing whether the present fashion of 

 ladies' dress is becoming or hideous, it may suffice to say 

 that from no periodical can more trustworthy iuformatio 



Is he obtained than from the 

 nl^.i ,,n our table Cid tt Ten 



a. its detn 

 We leiv 



Nat-:. '. '. /- 



Whr,i::.,. /.. 



Exchange and Mart, Electr, 

 South Australian Jiegisfer, The 

 Arabic scientific journal, of - 

 decipher the title, contents, nor 



, The Am 



■■.The San, 

 The 



ralof 



■yXrtr,, The Tricydist, 

 qnostic. The Bazaar, 

 Mrdiro-Lr.,al Journal, 

 Lnr^rhniif.',; and that 

 ich we can neither 

 ice of publication. 



