October, 1905.] 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



257 



granite of Goatfell, on Plate XXXV. ; columnar basalt, on 

 Plate XXXVII ; and dendritic markings on limestone, on 

 Plate XXVII. Students are carefully shown how geological 

 surveying is performed in Chapter XVIII. and succeeding 

 chapters. Dr. Geikie has produced an excellent work which 

 will, if possible, increase the esteem in which he is held by the 

 geological world. 



Elementary Experimental Science. W. M. Heller and E. G. 

 Ingold. (Blackie and Son.) This is a book written essentially 

 for teachers and not for pupils. It represents an endeavour 

 to indicate the spirit of the teaching and the method of in- 

 struction to be followed in order that the maximum educational 

 efficiency may be obtained from the subject. With the ex- 

 ception of one object lesson on feathers, all the lessons are on 

 physics and chemistry. It would be easy to select other 

 experiments, and any specially intelligent teacher would no 

 doubt do so ; but to the more ordinary man who can value 

 the advantage of assistance in this respect the book must be 

 very highly commended. When the British Association met 

 at Belfast, the writer of this notice had the pleasure of being 

 conducted through an exhibition of pupils' work which had 

 been done on the same lines as those described here. The 

 conductor was him=elf a pupil; and it is unquestionable that 

 in one lad, at any rate, the methods had succeeded in creating 

 a lively interest in experimentation. There was, indeed, one fact 

 which he spontaneously stated that he could not understand ; 

 viz., why a small body of water in the narrower limb of a 

 U-tube can balance the larger body in the other limb. We 

 have, therefore, looked up this particular point in the book 

 before us, and we find that the treatment of the subject of 

 Huid pressure is not very clear. The method throughout is 

 the heuristic one — a phrase which as defined in the introduct- 

 tion refers to " carefully directed inquiry." But how can it be 

 inferred from experiment 96 that the earth is subjected to an 

 atmospheric pressure in every dinctioii of about 15 lbs. per 

 square mch. The fact implied by the three words which we 

 have put in italics cannot be deduced from the experiment 

 itself; nor can it be from any other of the experiments 

 described. When we have made these criticisms there is 

 none of an adverse nature to make. We cordially recom- 

 mend the book to every school teacher or to any one who 

 is concerned with the creation of scientific habits of thought 

 in children. 



Bird Life Glimpses, by Edmund Selous (London: George 

 Allen, 1905). — This book contains a great deal of " twaddle," 

 and not a little that is akin to nastiness — most decidedly it is 

 not a book that we should care to put into the hands of the 

 young. Detailed descriptions of the act of coition as practiced 

 among birds are not, surely, subjects which should be dis- 

 cussed in a book which has all the outward semblance of a 

 volume designed for the children's library, or the drawing- 

 room. Apart from this, its pages contain a great deal of 

 padding that could well be dispensed with. Such, for ex- 

 ample, as the discussions on Art and Psychology, which are 

 irritating. The author here and there condescends to say a 

 kind word for scientific men, and now and then, apparently 

 lest they should become puffed up by such notice, he pokes 

 fun at them — fun of a sort ! Occasionally he indulges in a 

 little hypothesis hatching — we venture to think the resulting 

 chicks are destined to fill an early grave. We are sorry not 

 to be able to speak more favourably ot the book, for, like the 

 curate's egg, it is good in parts, and the author writes in a 

 pleasing style, except that he will bespatter his pages with 

 phrases in French, German, and Latin. He makes even the 

 poor birds talk in German ! The most pleasing feature of the 

 volume is its illustrations, which are delightful — as pictures by 

 Mr. Lodge always are. W.P.P. 



Poisonous Plants of all Countries, by A. Bernhard Smith 

 (Bristol: John Wright and Co. London: Simpkin, Marshall. 

 Pp. 88). — This little book consists of tables of various plants 

 arranged according to their action on the brain, spinal cord, 

 heart, together with lists of vegetable irritants. In each case 

 the toxic principle or principles are given. It would, perhaps, 

 have been interesting to the general student if remedies had 

 also been given. As a compilation, the work has apparently 

 been done well. There are two coloured plates illustrating the 

 fungi. 



The New Science of Causation, by H. Croft Hiller (Walter 

 Scott Publishing Co. ; los. net).— Consisting of " Easy Duo- 



logues, laying bare the hitherto hidden, and ensuring a general 

 collapse of the foundations of Materialistic Science." This is 

 but a collection of childish arguments strung together and 

 couched in grandiloquent phraseology, and if it be said that 

 it contains some few suggestions worth thinking over, that is 

 all that can be said in favour of this pretentious work. 



Pannell's Reference Book (The Granville Press; price 6s. 6d. 

 net). — This volume contains a really marvellous amount of 

 information, and is quite the most complete reference book 

 we know of. The price too is extraordinarily low for a volume 

 of nearly 1000 pages. Large cyclopaedias are all very well for 

 those who have the time to study them, but for purposes'of 

 reference, to ascertain some fact such as one continually 

 wants to know, this work seems to be amply sufficient. There 

 is just a question as to whether the arrangement is perfect. 

 One will have to learn one's way about the book before the 

 desired information can be readily got at. It may often be 

 a difficulty to know whether to refer to the Dictionary, the 

 Dictionary of General Information, or to the Medical, Legal, 

 Social, or Commercial Guide to ascertain some particular 

 fact. Cross references might be given more freely. For in- 

 stance, if you look up " Bridges " in the General Information 

 Section, many facts are recorded, but no reference is made to 

 p. 420, where may be found many details of " Notable 

 Bridges." The information given seems to be, on the whole, 

 very correct, though one might naturally expect, in so com- 

 prehensive a collection, a few inaccuracies or omissions. 

 Scientific facts are concisely given, if sometimes a Httle too 

 vague. For instance, under the heading of " Stars " it is 

 stated, with reference to the grouping in constellations, " of 

 these, twelve are visible in both the northern and southern 

 hemispheres, and are known as the Zodiacal constellations ;" 

 and agam '• In the Southern hemisphere the chief constella 

 tions are Orion and the Southern Cross." Such statements, 

 though slightly misleading, cannot be said to be incorrect. 

 There is so much within these covers; what with "Hints to 

 Authors," "Guide to Professions," " Heraldry," " Elections," 

 " Customs Tariffs," " Social Duties and .-Vids to Culture," 

 Statistics, &c., that it is impossible to mention all in detail. 

 On the whole this book is to be thoroughly commended, and 

 should prove so useful and so desirable as an educator that 

 we should like to see it in every home and in every office 

 throughout the empire. 



"The Zoologist," for June, July, and August.— Among the 

 more important articles may be mentioned one by Mr. J. G. 

 Millais in the June number, on the affinities of the black rat 

 {Mils nittus) and its relatives, in the course of which a race 

 new to the British Islands is described and figured. In the 

 July number is published the interesting address on bird 

 migration read before the recent Ornithological Congress by 

 Dr. O. Hermann, and an article on terns in Norfolk by Mr. 

 A. H. Patterson. Extermination in animal life forms the title 

 of an article in the July issue (to be followed by others) from 

 the pen of the editor, Mr. W. L. Distant, in which some 

 remarkable errors in connection with distribution are notice- 

 able. 



The Museums Journal, Vol. IV., July, 1904, to June, 1905, 

 pp. X. + 245, illustrated (London : Dulau and Co., 1905 ; 

 price, i2s. net). — According to the report read before the 

 Norwich Conference in the summer of 1904, the Museums 

 Association continues to make steady progress, its roll of mem- 

 bers augmenting, its finances increasing, and its annual 

 volume increasing in size. Its usefulness to those connected 

 with museums seems also to be more and more appreciated 

 year by year ; while it is extremely satisfactory to learn that a 

 certain number of delegates now attend its annual conferences. 

 A very useful feature of the Journal is the list of museums in 

 Great Britain and Ireland, of which a portion appears in the 

 volume before us. Much of the success of the Association 

 and its journal is due to the untiring efforts of the Secretary 

 and Editor, Mr. E. Howarth, of Sheffield. 



We have received from Messrs. S. Rentell and Co. their 

 catalogue of books on electricity, which includes works on all 

 branches of the subject, varying from 6d. to 63s. 



