December. 1910. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



491 



with, chapters xix. to xxviii. refer to the Stars, and the last 

 five concern the Astronomers. Observatories, and Instruments. 

 To the Sun nine plates are appropriated, to the Moon eight, 

 to the Planets seven, Comets and Meteors have five, various 

 subjects have eight, leaving only thirteen plates relating to the 

 subject title of the book. 



We see no objection to all these subjects being treated 

 lightly in an elementary manner in a prize bool\ intended 

 for school children, usually under thirteen years of age ; 

 on the contrary, we think it better to introduce the young 

 reader to the most prominent objects in the sky, and we see 

 no reason why more plates of telescopic objects should not be 

 given at the expense of certain non-stellar plates that might be 

 omitted. But we object to the title as being inappropriate to 

 a book in which only ten out of thirty-three chapters, or 

 thirty-eight pages of one hundred and twenty pages are 

 devoted to the Stars. Should another edition be called for, 

 which we would heartily welcome, we hope to see the title 

 changed. 



To give an account of the chief objects visible in the sky in 

 so few pages is not quite an eas.\- thing to do. but Mr. Hawks 

 writes in an interesting and pleasant manner, which should 

 entrance the young reader's attention. Nor have we any 

 word to say. save of praise, for the abundant richness in the 

 number and quality of the plates — thirty-three of these are 

 the work of Mr. Hawks — for the printing and paper, and for 

 the strong and suitable binding. 



We recommend the book to parents and teachers as a 

 suitable present to their young folks. „ 



omissions, reference is made in the text to the important 

 results of Heinz, but the worker who wishes to consult the 

 original papers will fail to find any mention of the journals 

 in which they were published. 



More attention might also ha\ e been given to the question 

 of terminology. Thus the oxidation products of unsaturated 

 fatt\' acids are in some places described as " oxy " acids and 

 in others as "' hydroxy " acids, the latter, of course, being the 

 correct term. Again, the term " linoleic " acid is used to 

 describe the acid usually known as " linolic " acid, whereas 

 the former name is usually given to the whole of the mixed 

 fluid fatty acids from linseed oil. There are also a few small 

 inaccuracies in the text. Thus it is stated (p. 87) that the 

 bichromate method of estimating glycerin is more liable to 

 error than the permanganate method, whereas the former 

 method has not only been " proposed," but is also in daily use 

 in many laboratories, and gives more accurate results than 

 the permanganate method. 



Again, it is incorrect to describe the insoluble bromide 

 obtained from linseed oil as a "" hexabromide." This compound 

 was first prepared and described by Hehner and the present 

 reviewer, and the whole of the evidence pointed to its being 

 the bromide of a mixed glyceride — certainly not a hexabromide. 



But these points are trifling, and do not materially detract 

 from the \alue of a book which every student of the subject 

 will be glad to have in his library. 



It may be added that, like the other monographs on 

 bio-chemistry in this series, it is clearly arranged and printed 

 in type that is easy to read. 



CHEMISTRY. 



Tlic Elements : Speculations as to the Xature and 



Oriiiin. — By SiR Wll.l.l.^M .-V. Tilok.v. F.K.S. 1(W + xi. pages. 



7-in. X 4s-in. 



(Harper & Brothers. Price 2 6 net, or in Leather, 3,6 net.) 



The wonderful results that have been obtained during the 

 last ten years in the in%estigation of the phenomena of radio- 

 activity, and the proof that one element, at least, undergoes 

 decomposition into another, lend strong support to the old idea 

 of the evolution of the elements. The scientific literature upon 

 the subject is already voluminous, and, e\ery day. additions 

 are made to it. the accounts of which are. as a rule, only 

 published in chemical and physical journals. It was, therefoie. 

 a happy notion of the publishers to include in their " Library 

 of Living Thought " a small volume giving an outline in 

 simple language of the present position of scientific opinion 

 on the subject, and the reader may be congratulated upon 

 having access to the fascinating story of the relationship of 

 the elements, told by such a master of simple narrative as 

 Sir William Tilden. The speculations in the last chapter 

 are full of suggestion, and indicate the lines upon which the 

 future development of the modern \ersion of the " philosopher's 

 stone " may be expected. 



The Fats.— liy J. B. Le.\thes. M.A.. M.B.. F.R.C.S. 

 lis + X. pages. 9T-in. X 6-in. 



(Longmans, Green & Company. Price 4 - net.) 



The chemistry of fats is far too wide a subject to be 

 compressed effectively within the limits here assigned to it, 

 but for the special purpose for which it has been written the 

 book will be found of use. Thus, the biologist who needs a 

 concise work of reference to the chemistry of this important 

 group of bodies, and the chemist who is anxious to know the 

 directions in which biology is applying chemical results, will 

 there find what he seeks. 



An excellent, though necessarily brief outline is given of 

 the composition of fats, the physical and chemical methods of 

 examining them, and their role in physiology, and the book 

 concludes with a bibliography and a good index. 



As the work is obviously intended to be a reference 

 handbook, the bibliography should certainly have been made 

 more complete. For example, to cite one of the many 



GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 



Cambridge County Geographies — Lanarkshire. — By F. 



MoRT. M.A.. B.Sc, F.G.S. 158 + viii. pages. 46 figures. 



5 maps. 5-in. X7i-in. 



(Cambridge L' niversity Press. Price 1 '6.) 



This volume initiates the extension of the excellent series of 

 Cambridge County Geographies to Scotland. Lanarkshire is 

 essentially Clydesdale, and for considerable distances the 

 county boundary coincides with the watershed of the famous 

 ri\er. The county owes its importance to coal and iron 

 conjointly with easy access to the sea by way of the Clyde. 

 With one-thirty-fifth of the area. Lanarkshire contains between 

 one-quarter and one-third of the population of Scotland, 

 although much of the county is bare moorland. It is by far 

 the most densely-populated county, having 1,524 persons to 

 the square mile. It is. of course, dominated by Glasgow, 

 which owes its prosperity to the unrivalled natural resources 

 of the Clyde basin, and to its position as the gateway of the 

 trade of the area. It is impossible within the limits of a short 

 review to mention a tithe of the topics discussed in this extra- 

 ordinarily interesting little book. Mr. Mort has accomplished 

 his task with a great measure of success, and has set an 

 excellent example for the other forthcoming Scottish volumes. 

 Incidentally also he sets before us very vividh- the vast scope 

 of modern geograph\'. Hardly any aspect of the county of 

 Lanarkshire in relation to its inhabitants has escaped remark. 

 The illustrations, maps, and diagrams are good and informa- 

 ti\ e, although the absence of an index is to be regretted. The 

 fine paper, clear typography, and neat binding render the 

 \olumes of this series a pleasure to handle. 



.4 History of the Mineral Waters and Medicinal Springs 

 of the County of Essex. — By Miller Christy, F.L.S., and 

 Miss M.'W Thresh, with a Critical Note by W. H. 

 Dalton, F.G.S. Essex Field Club Special Memoirs. Vol. iv. 

 73 pages. 7 illustrations. S-j-in.XS^-in. 



(Essex Field Club, and Simpkin, Marshall & Co. 

 Price 2 6 net.) 



This book is a reprint, with additions, of a paper read before 

 the Essex Field Club in 1907. Many so-called mineral 

 springs occurring in Essex have been described in certain 

 ancient and curious works, of which a good annotated 



