364 



KNOV\rLEDGE ♦ 



[October 1, 1886. 



I WONDER what my good friend Mr. Bi'owning, whose ex- 

 cellent little treatise on the eye has just, I see, received 

 high and well-deserved praise in Triifh, would say about 

 the " Kalee " eye story. The only ophthalmic story I care 

 to speak about myself, just now, is that old one which 

 relates how a critic was told to cast a beam out of his own 

 eye that he might see more clearly to remove a mote from 

 another's. 



The Times of August 16 gives the prominence of leaded 

 type to a puff of Mr. Romanes's paper on " Physiological 

 Selection " I'ead before the Linnean Society in May last, in 

 which a theory is presented in explanation of the problem of 

 the sterility of species at a certain stage in the evolution of 

 vai'ieties. Mr. Eomanes finds the key in the subtle action 

 of valuation on the reproductive system, but his tiieory has 

 the not slight defect of being as yet unsuppoi'ted by facts ; 

 these, however, he proposes to collect by systematic observa- 

 tion of many species. 



Mr. Rosianeb's friend claims him as the Elisha on whom 

 Mr. Darwin's mantle " has most conspicuously descended." 

 Now, we are not sure that Mr. Eomanes has Mv. Darwin's 

 mantle, but we are sure that he has neither his modesty 

 nor his method. His jjaper is a vicious example of self- 

 laudation, with covert inferences th.at Mr. Darwin's fact- 

 j)roven theory is related to his factless theory in the sense 

 that the imperfect covenant of the Old Testament is related 

 to the perfect covenant of the New. So anxious is he, 

 representative of this age of scramble after notoriety, to 

 get to the fore, that he has no thought of copying the 

 patience of the great master who sifted mountains of fact 

 befoi-e announcing his memorable explanation of the muta- 

 bility of species. And, in the absence of the yet uncollected 

 facts to prove not that Physiological Selection must be, but 

 is, the Times writer makes the damaging admission — not 

 surprising to those who know Mr. Romanes's unstable 

 equilibrium in matters theological — that his theory is 

 "quite capable of being reconciled with some views of 

 special creation." 



The Times of September 2 refers to the theory as causing 

 " excitement " among biologists, but it appears to have been 

 practically dismissed at the British Association meeting. Mr. 

 F. Dai'win's references to the " Origin of Species " in iVature 

 of September 2 show that the originality claimed by Mr. 

 Eomanes is baseless, and the theory has received its coup de 

 grace at the hands of the highest living authority on the 

 subject, Mr. A. E. Wallace, in the September number of the 

 Fortnightlij Iievieir. 



* -;^ *• 



He alone may claim equality with Darwin who solves the 

 great crux — the causes and conditions of variations. 



The papers on " The Unknowable " may bo regai'ded as 

 closing, so far as their serial form is concerned, with the 



present number. 



* * * 



We jiropose to begin witli the November number (the 

 first of Volume X.) a series of maps of the whole earth, on 

 one scale — the first such series ever produced, to the best 

 of our kjiowledge, in which the whole earth has been shown 

 on a uniform plan, to one scale, and almost without distor- 

 tion. The series will, we believe, be very useful for .students 

 of history and travel, as well as for students of geography, 

 for whom it is specially intended. 



* * * 



We have by no means forgotten our promise to bring 

 out a series of star maps showing the southeiu skies, month 



by month, as we have already shown the northern skies, in 

 " The Stars in their Seasons," and more simply in " The 

 Star Primer." The engravers to whom our first maps were 

 entrusted seemed to find pleasure in thwarting our plans by 

 delays and blunders. We found also some complaints arising 

 because the maps were late for the southern hemisphere. 

 We propose, therefore, to make a fresh start on a new plan, 

 with the engiavers who now carry out our wishes. 

 * * * 

 We would invite the special attention of whist-players to 

 the " Whist as Taught by Mathews," which we propose to 

 begin with our November number. Mathews may be 

 I'egarded as of .all writers on whist the one by whom whist 

 strategy has been most intelligently and originull}- dealt 

 with. 



l\rbirlus>« 



Elements of the Comparative Anntomi/ of Vertebrafes. 

 Adapted from the German of Prof. Wiedersheim. By 

 W. Newton Parker. (Macmillan.) — This work m.ay be 

 regarded as an admirable supidement to Gegenbaur's " Ele- 

 ments of Comparative Anatomy," which the same publishers 

 issued a few years ago under the editorial care of Prof. 

 Ray Lankester. A distinguishing feature of the book is the 

 number and completeness of the illu.strations, especially 

 those showing the circulatory systems, which are printed in 

 different colours. The ari-angement of the chapters accord- 

 ing to organs, instead of according to groups of animals, 

 assumes a general acquaintance with biology on the part of 

 the student ; but as emphasising the fact of an evolution of 

 organs as well as of animals, such arrangement is of the 

 first importance. As the translator, while retaining the 

 plan of the original, has made numerous additions to and 

 modifications in the work, rendered necessary to bring it up 

 to time, we had hoped to have found more detailed reference 

 to the origin and genealogy of the monotremes, whose place 

 in descent is referred to elsewhere in these columns. But we 

 tender Prof. Newton Parker ungrudging thanks for the 

 good and valuable service rendered in making Wiedersheim's 

 book accessible to English students. 



The Elementary Principles of Electric Lighting. By 

 Alan A. Campbell Swinton. (London : Crosby Lock- 

 wood tt Co. 188G.) — This little book may be heartily 

 recommended to all who wish to understand the principles 

 of electric lighting without entering into the mass of 

 technical and mathematical detail which usually encumbers 

 works on the subject of which it treats. Clearly written 

 and well illustrated, it contains a thoroughly intelligible 

 explanation of the whole matter within the limits of twenty- 

 nine pages. 



A Practical Manual of Wood Engraving. By Wm. 

 Nokman Brown. (London : Crosby Lockwood &, Co. 

 1886.) — Here is another capital work for the incipient 

 leai-ner. Mr. Brown pi-esupposes no previous knowledge 

 whatever on the part of the student, but begins at the very 

 beginning. After a brief historical introduction, he describes 

 every tool which the pupil will require, and the mode of its 

 use, following this up, with examples and " copies " for him 

 to practise. The book is fully illustrated. 



Photo-Micrography. By I. H. Jennings. (London : 

 Piper k Carter. 1886 ) — -The microscopist who may wish 

 to obtain absolutely trustworthy delineations of objects 

 and structure revealed by his instrument is now no longer 

 confined to the difficult .and uncertain use of the camera 

 lucida and the lead pencil for this purpose, but finds in the 



