64 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[March 2, 1890. 



that specialists not trained in geography will miss wliat 

 is geographically important, and will confuse the problems 

 with details of value to geologists, botanists, and historians, 

 rather than to geographers. The results of such a de- 

 scription could not fail to be important, but would be 

 most strilcing if undertaken by a group of professed geo- 

 graphers whose views were in general accord. A national 

 monument might be raised — a work of art as well as 

 science — in the place of a miscellaneous heap of scientific 

 bricks. Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than 

 to see Dr. Mill carrying out his idea in connection with 

 such a group of helpers. H. T. Mackinder. 



To the Editors of Knowledge. 



Sirs, — I cannot, I regret to say, give " Geographer " the 

 name of any work based exactly on the plan proposed in 

 my article in your January number. The idea suggested 

 is, I believe, a novel one, and an opportunity will be 

 afforded at an afternoon meeting of the Royal Geographical 

 Society, on March Gth, to discuss the possibility of carrying 

 it into effect. The suggestion is simply that each 

 sheet of the one-inch Ordnance Survey map should be 

 provided with a concise memoir or handbook giving a 

 complete index of place-names, the calculation of various 

 physical constants, and a discussion of the geography of 

 the district in the light not of the topographical map alone, 

 but of all such supplementary data as are available in the 

 Geological Survey, and the publications of the learned 

 societies which deal in distributions. 



There is one work recently published which, on a small 

 scale and in a somewhat different manner, does carry out 

 the geographical description of a part of the United 

 Kingdom in a more complete way than has ever previously 

 been attempted. It is the Royal Scottish Geographical 

 Society's recently published Atlas of Scotland, by Mr. J. G. 

 Bartholomew. This epoch-marking work contains a great 

 map of Scotland in forty-five sheets, on the scale of two 

 miles to one inch, showing contour lines of elevation and 

 sea-depth, appropriately coloured so as to give a vivid idea 

 of the vertical relief of thc^ country. But there is in 

 addition a series of small-scale maps showing the general 

 configuration, the river basins, the distribution of vegeta- 

 tion or agriculture, the distribution of population as to 

 density and as to language, the rainfall for each month 

 and the temperature for each month of the year, the 

 geological structure (on a large scale), the distribution of 

 indigenous animals, the limits of deer-forests and fishery 

 districts, and finally the counties. Thid is a scientific work 

 the value of which to the student of geography it would 

 be diflicult to over-estimate. Were it accompanied by 

 descriptive letterpress instead of mere statistics (the 

 introduction, dealing with the physical features of Scot- 

 land, by Prof. .James Geikie, is an exception), it would be 

 quite such a work as " Geographer " asks for — a unification 

 through geography of all the sciences involving distribu- 

 tions. Hugh Robert Mill. 



1. Savile Row, W. 



February, 1890. 



Notices of Boofts, 



Jiixtits ion Lit'bif/ : /lis Life and H'or/r (1803-1873). By 

 W. A. Shenstone, F.I.C. (The Century Science Scries, 

 Cassell & Co.) 3s. Gd. Within a compass of about 200 

 pages Mr. Shenstone has succeeded in drawing such a 

 vivid picture of Liebig as to enable us to form a clear 

 conception both of the man himself in all his many- 



sidedness, and of the work in the various fields of pure and 

 applied chemistry to which he devoted himself. Although 

 but twenty-two years have passed since Liebig died, it is 

 to be feared that to the majority of people — at least of the 

 younger generation — he is now little more than a name. 

 And yet he was not merely one of the very greatest 

 chemists that ever lived (and will rank as such for all 

 time), but no other man has ever equalled him either as a 

 teacher of chemistry or in the application of that science 

 to the arts and the various purposes of daily life. After 

 a brief but interesting account of Liebig as a boy and youth, 

 the friendship with his famous collaborator, Wohler, is well 

 described. This brings us to what we think is the weak 

 point of the memoir, viz., the small space which is allotted 

 to Liebig's discoveries in pure chemistry. The author 

 himself alludes to this in his preface, but at the same 

 time justifies the scale of treatment adopted by saying that 

 " it is right that it should be so, for, vast as were Liebig's 

 services to pure chemistry, they lack in some degree the 

 splendour of his contributions to some other departments 

 of equal intrinsic importance and of far wider general 

 interest." But here we would join issue with him, because 

 not only is much of Ijebig's purely chemical work classical, 

 but — what is more — it formed the groundwork to his own 

 investigations in physiological and agricultural chemistry, 

 and also served as a pattern and example to numberless 

 other workers in the science. We trust, therefore, that in 

 the next edition, which will doubtless be called for soon, 

 Mr. Shenstone may see his way to modify his opinion upon 

 this point in some degree, and treat the section in rather 

 more detail. The chapter dealing with Liebig's work in 

 agricultural chemistry is excellent. As a teacher Liebig 

 was unique. Throughout the book, and in the last 

 chapter more especially, justice is done to Liebig's high 

 character and to the great personal influence which he 

 exercised, while we are shown at the same time how 

 intensely human the man was. Space will not admit of 

 our adding anything about the marvellous amount of 

 literary chemical work — scientific and popular — which 

 he also accomplished, or, indeed, of saying more than 

 to advise evei-y student of chemistry, and everyone who is 

 at all interested in the application of chemistry to common 

 life, to read the book. 



A Handbook of British Lepidoptera. By Edward Meyrick, 

 B.A., F.Z.S., F.G.S. (Macmillan.) Illustrated. lOs. Gd. 

 Tliis book fills an undoubted want in entomological litera- 

 ture. Several popular books on butterflies and moths have 

 lately been issued, but until now no complete work on 

 British lepidoptera has appeared since Stainton's manual, 

 published thirty-six years ago. In an able introduction, 

 Mr. Meyrick explains structural formations, classification, 

 and nomenclature, and thus makes intelligible the 

 descriptions of the insects which follow. From these 

 the collector should be enabled to identify his specimens 

 with accuracy, and also to learn a great deal of their 

 structure, the description of which the author has in 

 every instance drawn up from his own observations. 

 Some entomologists will, no doubt, find fault with Mr. 

 Meyrick's system of classification, but his book will prove 

 invaluable as the outcome of original research. 



British and European Butterflies and Moths. By A. W. 

 Kappel, F.L.S., F.E.S., and'W. Egmont Kirby, L.S.A. 

 (Nister.) Coloured plates. 25s. This is an excellent 

 popular guide to the macrolepidoptrra of Europe. Most of 

 the species are included in the volume, and all the British 

 species hare English names assigned to them — a feature 

 which has been neglected m many books of recent date. 

 The larva, perfect insect, food plant, time of appearance, 

 and locality of each species is carefully described, while 



