Apbil 1, 1895.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



89 



ments of students in Trinity College, Dublin, and aspirants 

 for degrees in the London and Royal Universities ; there- 

 fore the real seeker after knowledge will have little interest 

 in it. There are numerous examples and examination 

 papers, and these will doubtless help to fix the elementary 

 principles of astronomy in the students' minds. But to an 

 experienced eye it is evident that the author is out of his 

 depth when he essays to describe the appearance and 

 constitution of things celestial. He apparently accepts 

 Schiaparelli's conclusions as to the rotation periods of 

 Mercury and \'enus, though later work has practically 

 disproved the hypothesis in the latter case. Again, he is 

 too foud of quoting descriptions of heavenly bodies, for- 

 getting that quotation is generally a sign of weakness. 

 For instance, all that is said about the ring nebula in 

 Lyra is the following sentence from Sir Robert Ball : "It 

 consists of a luminous ring, but the central vacuity is not 

 quite dark, but filled in with faint nebula, like a gauze 

 stretched over a hoop." Nothing can justify such frag- 

 mentary treatment as this. Then the spectrum of the 

 white stars is said to consist of dark hydrogen lines, and 

 " with the exception of these lines the spectra are con- 

 tinuous." There are many similar inaccuracies, but enough 

 has been said to show the nature of the book — a book 

 which possesses few features worthy of commendation. 



Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms. By M. C. Cooke, 

 M.A., LL.D. Pp. 126. (Society for Promoting Christian 

 Knowledge.) It has been said that " mushrooms are the 

 gift of nature," but Dr. Cooke's little volume shows that 

 many of us do not fully appreciate nature's bounties. By 

 means of eighteen coloured plates, illustrating forty-eight 

 species, the differences between edible and poisonous mush- 

 rooms are clearly shown. Experienced fungus-eaters know 

 that some seventy or eighty common species found in this 

 country may be eaten with safety, but it is sufficient to be 

 able to recognize eight or ten of these in order to provide 

 all the variety an ordinary person requires. That some of 

 the repulsive-looking mushrooms figured in this volume 

 are edible will be a revelation to most people. Dr. Cooke 

 remarks that the chief features exhibited by poisonous 

 mushrooms are — disagreeable odour ; change of colour, 

 especially to a dark blue, when cut or bruised ; distinctly 

 unpleasant taste when a fragment is eaten raw ; and fungi 

 containing a milky juice. These general rules serve 

 roughly to distinguish bad from good fungi ; but a refer- 

 ence should be made to Dr. Cooke's figures and his concise 

 descrijitions, or to some other competent authority, before 

 eating any doubtful species. As an aid to such discrimi- 

 nation the book will be extremely useful. 



Climbiiii/ in the Hi>nalai/i>s : iLips and Scientific Bepoiis. 

 By W. M. Conway, M.A., F.S.A., F.E.G.S.' Pp. 127. 

 (London : Fisher Unwin. 1894.) The publication of these 

 scientific reports as a supplementary volume to Mr. 

 Conway's general description of his expedition to the 

 Kai-akoram-Himalayas was, perhaps, the best course to 

 adopt both from the points of view of the general reader 

 and of the man of science. We find in these reports a 

 list of measured altitudes, notes on specimens of rocks, 

 plants, butterflies, and moths, collected during the journey ; 

 a description of two skulls brought by Mr. Conway from 

 Nagyr (and which are very similar to a series of skulls of 

 Kashmiris) ; a discussion of the symptoms of mountain 

 sickness and the sphygmograph tracings obtained at 

 different altitudes ; and a large map showing the physical 

 features of the region traversed and surveyed, together 

 with explanatory notes. Each report is written by a 

 specialist, and hence the whole collection makes a volume 

 of high scientific value. 



Mcteoroloffi/, Practical a7i<l Applied. By John WUliam 

 Moore, B.A., M.D., &c. Pp.445. (F. J. Rebman.) Good 

 books on meteorology are none too numerous, though the 

 number of meteorological observers is very large, and 

 though everyone is interested in weather changes and 

 their prediction. In Dr. Moore's attractive volume we 

 have a welcome addition to the literature of the science, 

 appealing not only to meteorologists in general, but to 

 medical officers of health, and to a wide circle of readers 

 who find pleasure in an untechnical description of methods 

 of observation, and the knowledge to which they have led. 

 The work is divided into four parts : first comes a his- 

 torical introduction ; then a description of the instruments 

 and methods of practical meteorology ; the third part 

 treats of climate and weather : and the fourth is on the 

 influence of weather and season upon disease. The whole 

 is well put together, and there is nothing which cannot be 

 comprehended by anyone of ordinary mental capacity 

 and fair education ; while the copious illustrations assist 

 iu brightening the excellently-printed text. A distinctive 

 and valuable feature of the book is the chapter on the 

 organization of the British Meteorological Office, running 

 into eleven pages. We cannot imderstand, however, why 

 more than fifty pages should be devoted to the history, 

 organization, and work of the United States Weather 

 Bureau, or why a long list should be given of the publica- 

 tions of the United States Signal Serrice. Possibly 

 Dr. Moore was tempted to include this extended account 

 because Mr. Mark Harrington prepared it. The greater 

 portion of the book is made up of extracts and abstracts, 

 but as these have been judiciously selected, and as references 

 are always given, the volume possesses additional value to 

 the student. Altogether, we think Dr. Moore has given 

 his professional brethren, and his fellow-observers in 

 meteorology, a very useful work. 



Prognss of Fly inij Machines. By 0. Chanute, C.E. ("The 

 American Engineer and Railroad Journal," 47, Cedar 

 Street, New York. 1894.) Whi'e it must be acknowledged 

 that the conquest of the air is a very difficult matter, as 

 far as rapid flight is concerned, its possibility is, at last, 

 admitted by all those who have seriously considered the 

 subject. It is, therefore, with very considerable satisfaction 

 that we have to announce the publication of this book, 

 which must become a standard work for many years to 

 come. The volume consists of a series of articles contri- 

 buted to twenty-seven issues of The American Engineer, 

 from October, 1891 ; to which Mr. Chanute has added an 

 appendix containing an article on the flight of the alba- 

 tros, by Thomas Moy. and a description of the interesting 

 and ingenious experiments in sailing flight by Otto 

 Lilienthal. The book is full of interesting matter, and 

 very carefully written. 



Proceedings of the International Conj'eren-e on Aerial 

 Xacigativn, held in Chicago, August Ibt, 2ud, 3rd and 4th, 

 18a3 ('■ The American Engineer and Railroad Journal," 

 47, Cedar Sireet, New York. 1894.) This is ano;her 

 valuable work upon the same subject, cousis'ing ot full 

 reports of the Congress held in Chicago in connsction with 

 the Exhibition of that year. The treatment of the subject 

 by the most able men of the day cannot fail to make the 

 book both instructive and thoroughly enjoyable. 



Ponds and Rock- Pools. By Henry Schcrren. Pp. 201. 

 (The Religious Tract Society.) Young coUeetors and bud- 

 ding biologists wUl find in this volume an abundance of 

 information concerning the beauties of microscopic sea-Ufe, 

 and the inhabitants of ponds. They will learn something 

 about the habits of the plants and creatures they collect, 

 and will be guided to see and discover similarities and 



