110 



KNOWLEDGE 



[May 1, 1897. 



probable error of a single determination in this co-ordinate 

 was found to be ± 037s. ; and twelve hundred and eleven 

 observations of two hundred and thirty-five stars in declina- 

 tions varying from + 65 to — 2P, with a probable error 

 of ± OoOo". Incidentally, in the latitude determination, 

 the probable error of a single observation of declination 

 was found to be ±0-57". 



Cliin-le.'< l>a)irin anti the Theiiry of Natural Sdection. By 

 E.B.Poulton,M.A.,F.R.B.,etc. (Cassell.) Ss. 6d. This is 

 one of the excellent short biographies now being published 

 in the " Century Science Series." Prof. Poulton's task in 

 dealing with such a great life in so small a space has been 

 admittedly a difiScult one, and he is to be greatly com- 

 plimented for the clever way in which he has told a great 

 deal in a few words. We feel sure that this little book 

 will be of the greatest service to the student who reads it. 

 If he has studied Darwin's works he will find here a 

 history, summary, and short discussion of each of those 

 works, and will obtain besides an insight into the life of 

 the man himself. If, on the other hand, he has not read 

 Darwin's works, this book will assuredly make him long 

 to read them. Of course Prof. Poulton has largely drawn 

 upon the " Life and Letters," but he has selected his 

 information with great skill, and his narrative runs 

 smoothly and is always inteUigible. The history of the 

 theory of natural selection, and the connection of Darwin 

 and Wallace, is indeed well told. Besides being a sort of 

 epitome of the " Life and Letters," the book contains 

 some valuable correspondence between Darwin and Prof. 

 Meldola which has not before been published. It may be 

 mentioned that Prof. Poulton wisely refrains from ex- 

 pressing any opinion of his own on the theories of 

 Darwin. The book should therefore interest everyone, 

 whatever views he may hold, as a history of our greatest 

 naturalist. 



Pioneers of Evolution from Tliales to Huxleij. By 

 Edward Clodd. (Grant Richards.) Portraits. 5s. 

 At the present time, when so much interest is centred 

 in the many-sided problem, evolution, a work tracing 

 the origin and development of thought on whence we 

 came, whither we are going, and the constitution of the 

 cosmos should be welcome. Not that there is a dearth of 

 such works, but rather because an accession of light on 

 the dark pathway may be hoped for by the independent 

 efforts of individual minds presenting facts in new 

 aspects. Mr. Clodd is, of course, well known, and he 

 has stamped his individuality on this contribution to 

 literature. Indeed, he has so far introduced his own 

 personality as to thoroughly spoil the otherwise most 

 enthralling story, the general result being rather a 

 compilation from the pioneers themselves, to emphasize 

 I'.dward Clodd's own ideas, than an accoimt of the views 

 of philosophers from Thales to Huxley. This disagreeable 

 element reaches its culminating point where Mr. Clodd 

 tells the story of Dr. A. P. Wallace's declining to accept 

 Darwin's hypotheses in their entii-ety. Wallace would 

 not allow that natural selection explains the origin of 

 man's spiritual and intellectual nature. Mr. Clodd says 

 (p. 138), " Minds of this type must be built in watertight 

 compartments. They show how, even in the higher 

 culture, the force of a dominant idea may suspend or 

 narcotize the reason and judgment." And (p. 144) he 

 continues: "That which, under wholesome restraint, is 

 the initiative and incentive of inquiry, of enterprise, 

 and of noble ideals ; unrestricted, leads the dreamer and 

 the enthusiast into engulfing quicksands of illusions and 

 delusions." Thus at one fell stroke, in his own way, 

 Mr. Clodd brings Dr. N\allacedown from the sublime to 

 the ridiculous. 



Is Natural Selection the Creator of Species ! By Duncan 

 Graham. (Digby, Long & Co.) 6s. In these pages it is 

 maintained that the present condition of the earth and its 

 inhabitants cannot be explained by the action of physical 

 forces alone. The arguments brought forward in support of 

 this statement are worthy of careful consideration, but the 

 hasty and immature deductions in various places and on many 

 controverted points are not at all convincing. Apparently 

 the author is in some measure conscious of all this, for he 

 says in the preface ; " I hope any who read my book will 

 pass over the defects of the manner, and find the matter 

 worth a perusal." On such questions as heredity, varia- 

 tion, reversion, male and female, the moral sense and 

 mental powers, our author asks many questions which we, 

 at any rate, would not undertake to answer. 



The Surriral of the I 'nlike. By L. H. Bailey. (Mac- 

 millan.) Illustrated. 83. 6d. A very fair notion of the 

 trend of this work may be gathered from the author's own 

 words. He says : " To me, the chief demonstrative 

 reason for belief in evolution is the fact that plants and 

 animals can be and are modified profoundly by the care 

 of man. In fact, I should be convinced that the organic 

 creation is an evolution if I had no other proof than this." 

 And so Mr. Bailey goes on to the bitter end with the same 

 cocksureness, leaving us no alternative but to accept im- 

 plicitly all he says. 



Ilealthi/ Ihailimis. By Sir Douglas Galton. (Clarendon 

 Press, Oxford. 18iJ6.) 10s. 6d, As a handbook of hygiene, 

 this well-known work of Sir Douglas Galton deserves a front 

 place. The author has now for so many years been before 

 the public as an exponent of modern methods of sanitation, 

 that his information on such subjects is well worthy of 

 acceptance by the student and younger generation of 

 experts, who are prone to draw hasty conclusions from the 

 immediate data before them. Bo many professional men 

 have now to consider the fimdamental laws of health, that 

 a book like the one before us should have a wide and 

 general circle of readers. The sixteen years which have 

 elapsed since the first edition have brought enormous 

 changes, more especially in our knowledge of the causation 

 of disease and in bacteriological problems, and one would 

 have liked many of the chapters further developed in these 

 directions. Thus, for example, on pages 38 and 39, we 

 must take exception to the modern accuracy of the sen- 

 tence : '■ Phthisis and other diseases may result from 

 breathing air rendered impure by the putrefying organic 

 matter thrown ofi' from the human body in the process of 

 breathing and transpiring." In discussing the purity of 

 water, the author has generalized too freely. Most che- 

 mists, for example, would object to his dictum that " if the 

 residue blackens in burning, it indicates animal organic 

 matter." As a general handbook of reference, it should 

 be of value to many of our readers. 



]<'irst Lessons in the Art of ]Vild FoicHmi. By Abel 

 Chapman, F.Z.S. (Horace Cox.) Illustrated. lOi. 6d. Mr. 

 Chapman is well known as an accomplished wild-fowler, 

 and in the present volume he gives some valuable hints 

 on shore shooting and punt gunning. A great number of 

 boolis have been written on the subject, and perhaps there 

 is little new to teach. Mr. Chapman attacks his subject 

 more from the naturalist's point of view than previous 

 writers, and for this reason, as well as for the sound 

 advice on technical details, wo would recommend the book. 

 We are glad that the author declaims against the un- 

 sportsmanlike procedure of filing at birds at enormous 

 ranges with guns loaded with ball. This practice cannot 

 be too severely condemned. Besides having tke efi'ect of 

 frightening and wounding the birds, and thus spoiling 

 legitimate sport, it reduces punt gunning, which, when 



