160 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[July, 1901. 



'The Miceoscopt of the moke coAnioxLT occmEiifO Stabches." 

 By Professor Hugh Gait, m.b., cm., d.p.h. (Bailliere, Tindall & Cox.) 

 Illustrated. 3s. 6d. net This is an unpretentious little rolume 

 which aims at giving the analyst, student, and others who miy have 

 to examine materials for adulteration, etc., a basis on which to work. 

 For this purpose a number of photographs hare been taken with the 

 aid of a microscope and reproduced in the book with the magnifications 

 in diamefers eiactly stated. Starch grains are peculiarly unsatisfac- 

 tory subjects from a phojogi'aphic standpoint, and the internal 

 markings by which the student l» usually directed do not appear 

 conspicuously in the photographs. We are not sure that the aqueous 

 medium that was used for the specimens is the best mountant, and we 

 have often found that the details of such subjects are better displayed 

 in some media than in others. Still the bases for working and deduc- 

 tions are sound, the contours and sizes of the various starches are at 

 once apparent, and these, after all, are the principal features which 

 must guide any comparisons or examinations. We believe that the 

 book will be found an extremely useful one to those interested in the 

 subject and possibly to microscopists generally, for starch grains are 

 easily secured, and there is considerable interest attaching to their 

 examination. 



"RoMASCE OF THE HsArENS." By Prof. A. W. Bickerton. 

 (London : Swan Sonnenschein & Co. 1901 ) 5s. If an author's 

 enthusiasm in behalf of a theory would influence opinion. Prof. 

 Bickerton would surely persuade many to accept his theory of 

 cosmical impact, which is really the subject of this volume. Finding 

 astronomy " a chaos of facts " he claims to have converted it into a 

 classified system, and to have explained the genesis of every type of 

 celestial body. TTie leading idea is not diffictJt of comprehension. Two 

 dark bodies are supposed to come into grazing collision, with the result 

 that the grazing parts are sheared off to form a third body, the mass of 

 which may be so small that the molecular velocities of its particles will 

 cause its dissipation into space ; while the two " wounded stars " become 

 variables or possibly form a double star. In its further development, 

 however, when the author pictures collisions of nebulfe, star clusters, 

 meteoric swarms, and cosmical systems, it becomes much more intricate. 

 We must confess that we find the idea of all this collision in an orderly 

 universe quite as repellant as the author appears to find the commonly 

 accepted views as to the degradation of energy and the coming ''uni- 

 versal death " : how he escapes from the latter can hardly be expressed 

 in a few words. Keedless to say, the theory is considered to be 

 absolutely demonstrated by the known facts of astronoaiy, but much of 

 the evidence brought forward is far too slender to be convincing. It is 

 by no means certain, for instance, that the authors interpretation of 

 the spectrum of Xova Aurigie is justifiable, and the statement that 

 the masses of the two supposed colliding bodies in that ease were 

 respectively eight thousand and four thousand times the mass of the 

 sun only makes us doubt other numerical results. In spite of 

 frequent repetitions and its somewhat florid style, those interested in 

 speciJative exercises will find the book readable enough, though, 

 iinlike the author, they may not regard " probably " and " possibly " 

 as evidence amounting to demonstration. 



BOOKS KECEIVED. 



The Complete Works of John Keats. ^'ol. Y. F.dited by H. 

 Buxton Forman. (Glasgow : Gowans & Gray.) Is. net. 



The Use of Words in Seasoning. Bv -Alfred Sidgwick. (A. and 

 C. Bkck.) 7s. 6d. net. 



The Mediterranean Sace. (Contemporary Science Series.) By 

 G. Sergi. (Walter Scott.) Illustrated. 6s. " 



A Sandbook of Ptirogrnphy. Bv Mrs. Maud Maude. (Dawbam 

 & Ward.) Illustrated. Is. 6d. net.' 



Papers on Mechanical and Physical Suh/'ecfs. By Osborne 

 Reynolds, f.e.s., m.i.c.e.. il.d. Vol. 11. 1881-1900. (Clay.) 

 Illustrated. 21s. net. 



Select Pibliographti of Chemistry, 1493-1897. By Henry 

 Carrington Bolton. Section VIII. — Academic Dissertations. (Smith- 

 sonian Institution.) 



Fergusson'a Surveying Circle and Percentage Tables. By John C. 

 Fergusson, m.i.c.e. 



The Commonwealth of Cells. By H. G. F. Spurrell, b.a.(oxox.). 

 (Bailliere.) Illustrated. 23. 6d net. 



Britain over the Sea. Compiled and Edited by Elizabeth Lee. 

 (Murray.) 2s. 6d. 



Sandbook of Rocks, Minerals and Ores. By W. .1. P. Burton, 

 P.O.s. (Laurie.) Is. 



Notes on Manures. By G. C. Broomhead. (Laurie.) 3d. 



The North-West Passage by Land. By Viscount Milton, M.P., 

 F.E.O.S., F.G.S., etc., and W. B. Cheadle, M.A., M.D.(cAyTAB.), f.b.o.s. 

 (CasseU.) Illustrated. I's. 



The Geological History of the Ricert of Hast Yorkshire. Bv 

 F. K. Cowper Keed, M.A., P.G.s. (Clay.) 4s.net. 



Oil the Earthtrorms collected during the " Skeaf Expedition" to 

 the Malay Peninsula, 1^:^9-1900. By Frank E. Beddard, M.A., 

 F.B.3. (From the Proceedings of the Zoologif-al Society of London.) 



Kew or Temporary Stars. By J. H. Brown, f.b.a.s. (Brighton '■ 

 Southern Publisliing Co., Ld.) 



Morphology of Spermatophytes. By John M. Coulter, PH.D., and 

 Charles J. Chamberlain, ph.d. (Xew York: D. Appleton & Co.) 

 Illustrated. 7s. 6d. 



Biographical, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays and Poetical 

 Works. By Lord Macaulay. (Ward, Lock.) Illustrated. 2s. 



All Change. By WUfred WooUam. (Elliot Stock ) Is. 



Publications of the Smithsonian Institution, March, 1901. 



Modern Cremation : Its History and Practice. By Sir H. 

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Cerebral Science. By Wallace Wood, M.D. (Bailliere.) 3s.6d.net. 



O-rasses. (Cambridge Jfatural Science Manuals.) By H. Marshall 

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The Microscopy of the more commonly occurring Starches. By 

 Hugh Gait, M.B., etc. (Bailli&re ) Illustrated. Ss. 6d. net. 



The Laic of Universal Balance. By A Shetlander. (Lerwick : 

 T. and J. Manson.) 



The Rustle of His Robe. By Margaret Inez Katharine Kern. 

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The Principles of Human Knowledge. By Geo. Berkeley. 

 (Chicago : The Open Court Publishing Co.) Is. 6d. 



Our Country's Shells. (Simpkin, ilarshall.) Illustrated. 6s. 



Story of Wild Flowers. By G. Henslow. (Xewnes.) Illustrated. Is. 



Animal Life. By Jordan and Kellogg. (Henry Kimpton.) 

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Plant Studies. By John M. Coulter. A.M , PH.D. (Henry 

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Star Atlas. By Dr. Hermann J. Klein. (S.P.C. K.) Illustratetl. 10s. 



Astronomischfr Jahresbericht. By Walter F. Wislicenus. (Druck 

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Catalogue of Apparatus, Material and Appliances, etc. (Sanger, 

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Flies and the Science of Scavenging. By G. V. Poore, M.D. 

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Catalogue Photographic Apparatus. (Sanders and Crowhurst.) 



Ministry of Finance — Ghizeh Zoological Gardens. Report for 

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Publications of the Smithsonian Institution — Annual Reports, 

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MiTlStt 



^ 



ORNiTHOLOGfCAft 



-.-» 



1- NOT£S.-r.___j 



Conducted hy Habey F. Witheeby, F.Z.S., u.B.O.U. 



Stabling or Nuthatch ? — Much has been said lately 

 in praise of the Starling. To the agriculturist the 

 Starling is without doubt a benefactor, owing to the 

 enormous number of grubs it consumes, and its increase 

 in this country within the last few years should prove a 

 blessing to the farmer. By the ornithologist, however, 

 this great increase can hardly be regarded favourably, 

 notwithstanding the interest attaching to the fact itself. 

 The Starling is an amusing bird, but you can have too 

 much of a good thing, and if the Starling continues in his 



