February, 1906.] 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



357 



More Natural History Essays, by Graham Renshaw, M.B., 

 F.Z.S. (London: Sherratt and Hughes, 1905.) — The author 

 presents us in this volume with a series of extremely interest- 

 ing essays on some of the more remarkable mammalian types. 

 Herein will be found much valuable information culled from 

 old and long-forgotten records, as well as a few things that are 

 new, at any rate, to the non-professional zoologist. Mr. 

 Renshaw writes with an easy grace that lends an additional 

 charm to all that he has to say. Tastefully bound, and well 

 illustrated, this is a book that should find many friends. We 

 note some omissions, however, the most important, perhaps, 

 being the absence of all reference to Mr. F. A. Lucas's valu- 

 able summary on the e.xtmction of Steller's Sea Cow (lihytma 

 Stillcri) ; as well as the investigations of Dr. Stejneger on the 

 same subject. W. P. P. 



A Glossary of Botanic Terms, with their Derivation and Accent, 



by B. D. Jackson. (Revised edition, ys.Gd. net, 8vo. pp. 371 : 

 Duckworth and Co.) — In the tirst edition of the work under 

 consideration, the author commences with a quotation from 

 Dr. Johnson, " Every other author may aspire to praise, the 

 le.xicographer can only hope to escape reproach." The early 

 demand for a second edition should convince the author that 

 he has escaped reproach ; in addition, it may be stated that 

 he merits praise for the production of a book of reference in- 

 dispensable to everyone interested in the study of botany from 

 any standpoint. In compiling a Glossary, discrimination can- 

 not be exercised to the same extent as in other cases, hence 

 out of the 16,000 terms defined in the second edition, the same 

 organ is sometimes met with under different names. This 

 condition of things is to a great extent the outcome of personal 

 vanity or self-assurance. An author dealing with a structure 

 already indicated by a recognized term, too frequently con- 

 siders it necessary to coin a new one, often for reasons only 

 apparent to himself. Nevertheless, such new terms must be 

 duly chronicled in a Glossary. Oecology, or the study of 

 plant life in relation to environment, a somewhat new phase 

 of botanical investigation, has necessitated a considerable 

 number of new terms which are here for the first time included 

 in a Glossary of botanical terms. The author, however, felt 

 compelled to draw the line at such compounds as " Carex- 

 Sieversia-Polygonum-coryphium," in thevulgate " Ttie Sedge- 

 smartweed Alpine meadow formation." This is an American 

 production ; it might have been German. As most such com- 

 pounds have been coined by one person, a reference to the work 

 where they occur is given. There are no illustrations, hence 

 the leaves consist of paper, and the book is light and pleasant 

 to use. The type is excellent, and the key-words are not in- 

 dented, but readily catch the eye. 



Creatures of the Night, by A. W, Rees. (London : John 

 Murray, pp. xix. + 44''^. illustrated; price 5s. net.) — If only 

 the author had avoided the senseless and irritating habit of 

 designating animals by such titles as " Vulp the Fox " and 

 " Brock the Badger" (he might just as well say '• Badger the 

 Brock"!), he would have succeeded in producing a charming 

 book. As it is, these names get on our nerves ; but we may hope 

 that they will not have the same effect on other readers. 

 Mr. Rees is a keen observer of Nature and a thorough lover of 

 animals ; making little ado about sitting up half the night to 

 watch a badger peer forth from its earth, or an otter steal out of 

 its holt. To many of us such vigils would be deadly wearisome ; 

 and naturalists therefore owe a debt of gratitude to tlie author, 

 for if we are to arrive at a thorough knowledge of the habits 

 of animals, it is essential that the creatures should be thus 

 carefully watched in their native haunts. I^ritish mammals 

 of nocturnal habits form the main subject of the book, the 

 otter, badger, fox, hare, hedgehog, and water and field voles 

 (why does not the author call them by their proper country 

 names — rats and mice?) forming the chief items; and in each 

 case the life-history is charmingly written. Owls, nightjars, 

 &c., are taken into consideration in the last chapter. In re- 

 ferring on page 441 to the object of the dark and light stripes 

 on a badger's face, the author writes as though he were record- 

 ing a new fact, which is not the case. The articles originally 

 appeart^d in the Stamlard ; but the re-publication in their 

 present altered and expanded form is a distinct gain to 

 natural history. 



The Source of the Blue Nile, by A. j. H.ayes. (Loudon : Smith, 

 Elder and Co., pp. xi. -f 315.) — This work is in the main a 



record of the journey of a small expedition dispatched by the 

 Egyptian Government to Lake Tsana, in Western Abyssinia, 

 to which the author was attached as medical officer; the out- 

 ward journey being by way of the Sudan, while the return 

 route was to Egypt along the Atbara valley. Western 

 Abyssinia is a country but little known to Europeans, and the 

 author and his party traversed one district where white men 

 had apparently never previously been seen. Western .'Vbyssinia, 

 as is pointed out in the preface, dominates the adjacent dis- 

 tricts of the Sudan, and the importance to Great Britain of 

 the continuance of good relations with the Ethiopian Empire 

 is therefore self-evident. In addition to the narration of the 

 journey, the book contains a number of observations on the 

 religion, customs, &c., of the Abyssinians; and antiquarians 

 should be much interested in a photograph of early paintings 

 in the church at Bahardar Georgis. P'rom the limited amount 

 of available carriage, natural history collecting could be 

 carried out only to a small extent, but Dr. Hayes was enabled 

 to bring back a series of insects, which Professor Poulton 

 describes in an appendix as being valuable and interesting 

 from a distributional point of view. A few specimens of larger 

 animals obtained by the author are shown in reproductions 

 from photographs, among these being the "head of a harte- 

 beest." This is a somewhat vague term, and the author might 

 surely have found a naturalist friend to tell him that the speci- 

 men belongs to the tiang (Daiimliscus corriguiii Hang), an ante- 

 lope which can only be called by courtesy a hartebeest, of 

 which group it is a very aberrant representative. To all inter- 

 ested in adventurous travelling and the opening-up of Africa, 

 Dr. Hayes's volume may be cordially commended. 



Magnetism and Electricity for Students. H. E. Hadley. 

 (Macmillan and Co., 6s.) — The scope of this volume is, 

 roughly, that required to pass candidates for the B.Sc. exami- 

 nation of the University of London, and by students working 

 for stages II. and III. of the Board of Education examination. 

 The author has succeeded in compressing a very large amount 

 of instructive information into its 575 pages ; this information 

 is conveyed wherever possible with the help of most excellent 

 diagrams. There are a large variety of questions set at the 

 end of each chapter which are selected, in the main, from 

 examination papers. These will prove very useful, but their 

 utility would be increased, especially to the private student, 

 if answers were provided to more of them. The subject 

 matter is, as a rule, very correctly presented. Some slips, 

 such as fig. 31. ought to be rectified. This diagram gives an 

 entirely misleading notion of the forces between an iron filing 

 and a magnet. Diagram 54 on the following page indicates 

 lines of force entering and leaving an iron ring (such as a 

 Gramme-ring) much as though the flux was carried on by its 

 own momentum. Teacher'; are exceedingly slow in learning 

 that if the line reaches the iron surface even slightly inclined 

 to the normal, then on the inside of the surface it is very 

 nearly at right angles to its previous direction ; that is, it is 

 suddenly rotated through nearly a right angle. This action is 

 a consequence of the high permeability of iron. In spite of 

 these and certain other inaccuracies and deficiencies we can 

 recommend the book as giving in general a simple and satis- 

 factory account of its subject. 



Circulating Scientific Library.— Mr. H. K. Lewis, 136, Cower 

 Street, W.C., has sent us a copy of Nos. 23 and 24 of his 

 " Quarterly List " of additions to the circulating library. The 

 lists contain nearly 300 titles, and include many import;int 

 new books and new editions on the various subjects covered 

 by the library. There are brief notes to most of the books 

 which, while not pretending to give the subscriber an exact 

 idea of the book, enable an opinion to be formed on its general 

 scope. The library has been long known as a useful medium 

 for the supply of medical literature, and its extension to cover 

 all branches of general science, commenced some two or three 

 years ago, should add considerably to its value. We under- 

 stand this neatly printed and useful " Quarterly List " will be 

 sent post free regularly to anyone desiring to have it, and 

 should think it would prove of service to all our readers who 

 desire to keep themselves abreast of the important additions 

 to scientific literature. 



