256 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[November, 1901. 



and although his books on natural history were not many, those 

 to which he had access were evidently well read. His love 

 for Selborne and its fauna and flora was, however, the main 

 theme of his life, and his happiest hours were undoubtedly 

 spent in tending his garden, improving his " outlet," and above 

 all in studying the birds, animals, and plants about him. Al- 

 though he by no means disclaimed systematism it was as living 

 and wild that he delighted to study nature, " Learn as much 

 as possible the manners of animals, they are worth a ream of 

 descriptions," he wrote, to his brother at Gibraltar. We are 

 %ery glad to have a more complete knowledge of the life of the 

 first and greatest of field naturalists, and to be possessed 

 of more of his charming letters. The volumes before us con- 

 tain many nice illustrations, and we can only regret that no 

 portrait of Gdbert White himself was ever macle. 



"The N.iTUR.iL History and Antiquities of Selboene." 

 By Gilbert White, Edited, with an introduction and notes, 

 by L. C. Jliall, F.K.S., and W. Warde Fowler, M..4. (Methuen.) 6s. 

 — Although over 100 editions of White's Selborne have now been 

 published, the demand for more will surely never fail. The editions 

 lately pubUshed have generally possessed some special attraction 

 in the way of illustrations or previously unijublished additions. 

 The present edition contains no illustrations, and no novelty, 

 but being well edit«l, neatly produced, and of a convenient size, 

 it is none the less welcome. It contains the whole of the 

 original edition of 1789, with the exception of the Appendix 

 of Latin charters and deeds, while the " observations on various 

 parts of nature," extracted from White's diaries by Dr. Aikin, 

 are added. White's spelling and punctuation are " scrupulously 

 retained," Tlie editors have appended notes which are in every 

 way exact and lucid. In the "letters" these notes are inserted 

 wherever necessary, but in the " observations " a few more would 

 have been advantageous, as, for instance, in the observation headed 

 Grosbeak, where it should have been noted that the bird referred 

 to was the Hawfinch. In an Introduction a brief account of 

 the life and character of Gilbert Whit© is given, which woidd 

 no doubt have been enlarged and, in a few particulars, amended, 

 had Mr. Holt-White's Biography, reviewed above, been accessible. 

 Brief accounts are also giveai of the lives and works of Thomas 

 Pennant and Daines Barrington, to whom the natural history 

 letters were addressed, and of Richard Chandler, to whom were 

 addressed the letters on the antiquities. The introduction con- 

 tains besides, a short description of Selborne, and a history 

 of the book itself. Finally, Jlr. Warde Fowler contributes an 

 admirable chapter, which is at once clear and brief, on WTiite's 

 ■\iew of the migration of birds. In this Mr. Fowler deals 

 specially and with much skill with Wliite's tendency to believe 

 in the " hibernation " of birds. The spectre of " hibernation " 

 haunted almost all White's observations on migration, and pro- 

 duced the only serious errors in his observations, and although 

 he never was able to obtain proof of hibernation in birds his 

 virtual belief in the myth has been undoubtedly the cause of 

 its survival even to the present day. We ma.y add that the 

 present edition is nicely and clearly printed on a rough surfaced 

 paper, which is so much more pleasant to the eyes and the 

 touch than the highly glazed papers at present in vogue. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Occasional Thoughts. By John B. S, Camp, (SimpVin, Marshall.) 



Dragons of the Air. By H, G. Seeley, F R.s. (Methuen.) 111. 6s. 



Ulementari/ Tetephotogrnjjhi/. By Krnest Marri;ise, r,K,r s, 

 (IlifFe,) Illustrated, 3s. Od. net. 



Elementary Alqehra. By C. U. Fr ■iicli, M.A., and tx. Osliorn, 3(1. A. 

 (Cliurchill.) -is.'ed. 



The Growth of the Empire. By Arthur W, Jose. (Mm-ray) 111. 6s. 



First Years Algebra. By C. H. French, M.A,, and G. Osborn, m,a. 

 (Churchill.) Is. 6d. 



Intermediate Practical Physics. By Jolni B. Wilkinson. (Chap- 

 man & Hall ) Illustrated. 2s 6d. 



A Seadg Aid to Distinguish the Commoner Wild Birds of Great 

 Britain. By Havid T. Price. (Giirney & Jackson.) 



Don Qin'.cote. Vol. III. By Miguel de Cervantes Saavcdra. 

 Edited by Jas. Fitzniuuiiee-lvelly. (Gowans & Grav.) Is, net, 



Sforg of Fish Life. By W. P'. Pycraft, F z s. (Newnes.) HI. Is. 



Zoologg. By A. E. Shipley, M.A. , and K. W. McBride, r.A., D.sc. 

 (Cambridge : University Press.) lUustnitcd. lUs. Od. ni^t. 



Story of the Isle of Man. By A. W. Moore, m.a. ( Fisher Unwin.) 

 lUu,strated. Is. 



Scientific Soil. By Alexander Eanisay. (Sharlaud.) Is. 



Side and Screw — being Xotes on the Theory and Practice of the 

 Game of Billiards. By C. D. Locock. (Longmans.) 111. 5s. net. 



Building Construction. The Organized Science Series. By Brysson 

 Cunningham, b.k , A.M. i.e. E. (Clire.) Illustrated. 23, 



Practical llistotoyy. By J. N. Langley, M,A,, so.D,, f,e.s. 

 (Macniillan,) (l.*. 



Unity of Matter. By Gustavns Detlef Hinrichs, m,d., ll.d. (St, 

 I.ouis, Mo., U.S.: Carl Gustav Hinrichs,) >il net. 



The Play of Man. By Karl Grous. iHeinemann. ) 



Pharynx of the Erislalis Larva. By •!. J. Wilkinson. (Clay.) 

 Illustrated. 



Report on the Scheme of Sewage Parijication proposed for Belfast, 

 and its probable Effects on the Lovgh. By E. A. Lett;, D so., PH.D. 



Fttinents and Furniture. By Eev. F. C. Lambert, MA. (Dawbarn 

 & Ward ) 6d, net. 



Climate and Weather of Sei'enoah-s. By W, AV. Wagstaft'e, B A., 

 r.E.c.s, (Sevenoaks : J, Salmon.) 



Field and other Experiments at Sothamsled. By Sir J. Henry 

 Gilbert, f.b.s. (Lawes Agricultural Trust Committee.) 



Guide to the Collection of Minerals in the Blackburn Museum. 

 (Blackburn: Times O&ce.) 



Mr. H. J. Glaisher, of Wiginore Street, Cavendish Square, has sent 

 us a useful catalogue of books, comprising details of an excellent 

 collection of voluuu's, manv of which refer to science. 



AsTuoNOMicAL. — lu a I'eceiit discussion of data relat- 

 ing to solar radiation. Dr. Buchanan, f.e.s., concludes 

 that under the most favourable circumstances the 

 surface of the earth at sea^level receives heat from the 

 vertical sun at the rate of 1.2 gramme degrees Ceuti- 

 grade per square centimetre per minute, or 1.17 horse- 

 power per square metre. Taking into account the im- 

 perfect transpai-ency of our atmosphere, the value of 

 the avUir conattitit. or the heating power of the sun's 

 rays upon a surface of cue square centimetre exposed 

 to them for one minute at a point on the earth's orbit 

 may perhaps be as mtich as 1.8 gr.° C. This result 

 accords better with the older values obtained by Pouillet 

 and Herschel than with some of the more modern 

 estimates. 



From a lai-ge number of measurements made with a 

 filar micrometer on the 26-inch Washington refractor. 

 Dr. See concludes that the diameter of the planet 

 Mercui7 is 4277.6±.5.8 kilometres; that is, 2656.4 ±3.6 

 miles. No markings of any kind were recognised with 

 certainty, and no evidence of an absorbing atmosphere 

 was obtained. 



Continuing his interesting and suggestive researches 

 on shortz-period variables. Dr. A. VV. Roberts finds that 

 the mean density of the eight known southern variables 

 of the Algol type is 0.176, the density of water being 

 taken as unity. Of the 22 " Algol " variables at present 

 known, five, including /3 Lyrae, are regarded as binary 

 systems in which the components revolve in contact. 

 Such systems, however, are not permanent, the com- 

 ponents diverging on account of tidal action. A regular 

 sequence can be traced from binaries with a period of a 

 few hours to those like Castor having a period of a 

 thousand years. 



The Board of Education has this year added 

 " Spherical Astronomy " to the list of science subjects 

 in which examinations will be held next May and June. 

 The syllabus appears to have been carefully drawn up, 

 and dovibtless many students will be glad of the 

 opportunity of obtaining certificates for this branch of 

 astj-onomy. Descriptive and physical astronomy are 

 included in the subject of Physiography, but a separate 

 examination is held in Nautical Astronomy. — A, F. 



