May. 1901.1 



KNOWLEDGE 



111 



objects, most needed by everyone taking up microscopv either as 

 a source of mental recreation or as a serious study. It must be 

 borne in mind, however, that the casual examination of a variety 

 of natural objects is of little use unless the observer has a gooii 

 memory and Ciin bear iu mind the specitic characteristics of the 

 things he sees. To be of value it is necessary to make not<"s and 

 to comi^ire the structures and organs of various plants and animals 

 with one another, or to devote attention to one particular organism 

 and tiud out as much as possible about it. 



•■ liiiT.iTiox ; OR The iliMExic Force in NAxrRE and HrM.tN 

 Xatcrk." By Richard Steel. (Simpkin.) — This book belongs to a 

 class the virtues of which are best appreciated bv the individual 

 authors. A number of similar books have been published and they 

 are all the despair of the reviewer, who desires to do them justice 

 so far as the limitations of time and space will permit. It is, 

 however, practically impossible to describe satisfactorily the argu- 

 ment set forth or to submit the contents to minute criticism. 

 So far as we are able to make out, Mr. Steel aims at the apotheosis 

 of the imitative faculty in organic and inorganic nature. Every 

 biologist knows that mimetic force is an important factor in the 

 orgamc development, and it would be possible to exemplify its 

 action by many cases. Mr. Steel deals with imitation in animal 

 and vegetable life, but this subject only occupies a small part 

 of his book. In the remaining part he gives reasons for believing 

 that the influence of imitation is very great in other ways, and 

 indirectly affects almost every aspect of bodily, mental and 

 spiritual activity of man ; in fact, practically every thing and 

 pnenomenon in the realm of natural and abstract philosophy, from 

 the law of gravitation and the use of a silk hat, to the conception 

 of a First Cause, is shown to depend upon the tendency to imitate. 

 To some of the cases stated in support of this thesis no objection 

 need be raised, but others will not so readily meet acceptance, 

 and the want of precision of the whole makes the reading of the 

 book wearisome to people who are used to concise statements 

 of fact. 



•' Railway Rtrxs ix Three Con-tixe.vts." By J. T. Burton 

 Alexander. (EUiot Stock.) 7s. 6d. net. — Engineers and others 

 connected with railway working will find this volume very handy 

 for reference, as it contains a record of actual performances on 

 some European, Canadian, Australian and American lines, as 

 observed by the author while riding on the engine or in the 

 train. From the times given for each run we see at once how 

 far the time-tables of the various companies are adhered to in 

 actual miming, and on which lines time is best kept, or, if lost, 

 regained. Particulars are also given as to the load drawn, and 

 the class of locomotive used. The book is thus one which, while 

 technical in its subject, is worth bearing in mind as containing 

 a compact statement of the relative performances of many 

 celebrated trains in various parts of the world. 



"PRiiiEB OP AsTROSOMT." By Sir Robert Ball, ll.d., r.R.s. 

 Cambridge : University Press. Is. 6d. net. — It is not very easy 

 to write an elementary text-book in astronomy which will have 

 many points of originality. The most we can expect is that it 

 should be well written, well arranged, and have clear and full 

 explanations of the different departments of the science. Judged 

 by this standard, we have nothing but praise to offer to this little 

 work. It is written with the command of the right word and the 

 right expression that is so characteristic of Sir Robert Ball's style ; 

 the arrangement is very fair ; and Sir Robert goes deeper and 

 more fully into the various branches, both fundamental and 

 physical, of astronomy than the dimensions of the book would 

 have led one to expect. 



" Haxd-book of Practical Botany." By Dr. E. Strasburger. 

 Translated and edited from the German by W. HiLlhou.se, m.a., f.l.s. 

 Fifth edition. Re-written and enlarged. (Swan Sonnenschein.) 

 Illustrated. 10s. 6d. — A new English edition of Professor 

 Strasburger's well-known " Das Botanische Praktikum " is a 

 welcome addition to botanical literature. Three years ago the 

 author published a third edition of the German work, from 

 which Professor Hillhouse has prepared the volume before us. 

 The author's name is a sufficient guarantee of the excellence 

 of the work, which is designed for the student of microscopy, as 

 well as for those who desire to study the structure of plants from 

 a more distinctly botanical point of view. It has been accessible 

 to English readers since 1886, and few of the numerous treatises 

 on practical botany are better known and more thoroughly 

 appreciated in Engl-sh laboratories. The directions are given in 

 great detail, and the materials required are not beyond the 

 capabilities of small institutions, and may be obtained without 

 difficulty by the isolated worker. 



The fifth" edition contains some additional matter and has under- 

 gone other changes at the hands of the English editor. The 

 translation is less literal and the English freer and more pleasantly 

 readable than fonnerly — a change which will be favourably 

 received. The appearance at the head of each chapter of the list 

 of reagents, as well as of the plants required, will be found a 



great advantage. Wo think it a matter for regret that the editor 

 has decided to omit the references to literature which were 

 appended to each chapter in the earlier editions. Many, perhaps 

 the majority, of those who use tlio Hand book will not sull'ir from 

 the omission, but to others who used it as an introduction to more 

 advanced botanical work these references were of considerable 

 value. The important divisions of the chapters are indicated by 

 italicised headings to the paragraphs, which will greatly facilitate 

 reference, the need of which was frequently experienced iu using 

 the earlier editions. We have no doubt that this volume will 

 quickly be as well represented on the work-benches of botauical 

 institutions as its predecessors have been. 



"The Complete Works of John Ke.vts." Edited by H. 

 Buxton Fornian. In five volumes. (Glasgow: Gowans & Gray.) 

 Is. each. The fourth volume of this scholarly edition of the 

 works of Keats is now issued, and in welcoming it for the 

 com|ilete character of its text and the elaboiate detail of its 

 notes and marginalia, we cannot too highly commend the atteiiijit 

 of the publishers to give the public an edition of the Knglisli 

 classics which is irreiiroadiable as to the correctness of its text, 

 altogether admirable in its form and style, and at the same time 

 quite inexpensive. It would be ungracious in the presence of so 

 erudite .an editor as Mr. Buxton Forman to raise any objection 

 to the profusion of his notes, but we are strongly of opinion that 

 there is a distinct danger of overlaying the poet by the notes, 

 having regard to the object of a popular edition, as the general 

 reader is so easily dissuaded, and it may become a task instead of 

 a pleasure to extricate your poet from a redundancy of notarial 

 lore. Let the poet speak for himself, and dispense with the 

 chorus as far as possible. 



".Journal of the Society op CoMPAn.txivE Legislation." 

 (John Murray.) 5s. We have received from Mr. Murray the 

 sixth volume of the new series of this invaluable journal, con- 

 taining an exhaustive review of the Legislation of the British 

 Empire for 1899 ; a brief memoir of the late Lord Chief Justice 

 (Lord Russell of Killowen), from the pen of Mr. Joseph Wjilton, 

 g.C. ; and a preliminary study, by Sir Frederick Pollock, of the 

 history of the Law of Nature. We observe among the notes 

 some interesting excerpts from the " Cape Law Journal " (now 

 the " South African Law Journal ") on some of the many novel 

 questions raised in connection with the unhappy war with the 

 two Boer RepubUcs. 



'•AOKICULTCRAL ZOOLOGY.'' By Dr. J. Ilitzema Bog. Trans- 

 lated by J. R. A. Davis. Second edition. (Methnen.) lllu.s- 

 trated. Price 3s. 6d. — The first edition of this excellent 

 little work was published in 1894. and the comparatively e.irly 

 date at which a second has been demanded bears testimony to 

 its usefulness and that it supplies a long-felt want. The present 

 edition, besides a careful revision of the text, differs from its 

 predecessor by the addition of an appendix, which consists 

 mainly of a translation of the introduction to a larger work on 

 the same subject by the author, and likewise a classification of 

 agricultural pests according to habitat. An index is also an all- 

 important addition. The work gives a systematic survey of all 

 the groups of the animal kingdom which can be said to affect 

 agriculture in any way, either injuriously or beneficially. And 

 although in certain respects the classification employed is some- 

 what antiquated, while some of the illustrations might be better, 

 this conspectus has been well carried out, and is written in a 

 style free from unnecessary technicalities, so that it may be 

 understood without much difficulty by the intelligent farmer 

 and gardener. The original German work descrilied, of course, 

 all the animals met with on the Continent which affect agri- 

 culture ; in the English editions some of the non-British species 

 are printed in small type, and it would have been better, we 

 think, if the same distinction had been applied in all cases, e.g., 

 the corn-mouse (p. 41). It may be added that neither author or 

 translator appears to be aware that the pine-marten (p. 26) is 

 not a British species. Moreover, we must deplore the iu'-lusion 

 of the swift and the swallow in a single family (p. h8), as tenaing 

 to perpetuate a misconception of affinities. But, after all, the 

 agriculturist is more concerned with invertebrate than with 

 mammalian pests, and we have iK'tliing but commendation to 

 bestow on that poition of the work dialing with insects, 

 " flukes," etc. Indeed the section devoted to the life-clianges 

 of the liver fluke and its kindred is excellent, and can scarcely 

 fail to arouse the interest of the farmer who has hitherto been 

 acqiiainted with this malignant pest in a single phase of its 

 chequered career. Seeing, however that Miss Orraerod, in her 

 introduction, has bestowed unstinted praise to this portion of 

 the work, it would be almost an impertinence on our p.art to 

 attempt furllier commendation. 



