256 



KNOWLEDGE 



[No%-EMBEE 1, 1899. 



sarrounding the mouth of the Hnmber. is a very remarkable 

 one ornithologically. Mr. Cordeaux's list includes the extra- 

 ordinarj- number of three hundred and twentj'-two different 

 species of birds identified as having occurred there. A number 

 of these are " accidental visitors " which liave been recognised 

 but once or twice, whUe a large number of them are " periodical 

 visitors '' which |>ass throvigh this favoured district twice a 

 year. The pamphlet will be invaluable to all ornithologists, 

 not merely as a list, but also for its information regarding times, 

 seasons, and extent of migrations, calculated from the notes for 

 which the author was so famous, and which extended over thirty- 

 five years, and for its accurate details and i-eferences concerning 

 the rare visitors which have been recorded for the district. 



Telephrtnes, their Oinstruclion tniil F/tthitj. By F. C. AUsop. 

 (tiondon : Spon.l Illustrated. 3s. M. In handling this, the 

 fifth edition of ilr. Allsop's book, we have that pleasant feeling 

 as of meeting an old friend. There is certainly no book con- 

 cerning telephones — in the English language — which is so 

 thoroughly popular or so eminently practical. Note in this 

 connection the opening sentence : " A telephone instrument 

 consists essentially of three parts — .'' It should of course be 

 remembered that the work is intended for readers who consider 

 it more important to know "how'' than to know " why," so 

 that we have no right to criticise the author's English. We 

 note, p. 2?>, that the word " caking "' is substituted for the more 

 usual expression " packing.'' And on p. o"2 there is a somewhat 

 narrow statement which reads : " An induced current is always 

 of higher E.M.F. than the inducing current. " The action of 

 the " armature shunt " (usually so great a stumbling block to 

 the t3To) is explained with wonderful clearness. A little later 

 on we are sorry to see (p. 5.j) diagrams which show the contacts 

 with their conventional lettering. This seems to imply that 

 there is no need for brain power on the part of i>ersons making 

 the connections. The notes on intercommunication systems 

 are good, and published for the first time in this edition. Going 

 further, under the heading " batteries,'' we find a vicious 

 suggestion made, to the effect that it may sometimes be 

 advisable to knock a hole in tke bottom of the porous pot. 

 And there is in this section, too, that oft-repeated error which 

 makes the E.M.F. of the Leclanche out to be higher than it 

 actually is. Also we note that the B.W.G. is adhered to 

 throughout, instead of, as one would expect, the more modern 

 " standard " gauge being used. On p. 1G5 there is a statement 

 which, in the light of recent events, should form unpleasant 

 reading for the directors of the National Telephone Co. On 

 p. 169, "section No. 2, the wires 3. 4, and 5," should read "section 

 No. "2, the wires 4, i}, 6." But all the faults we have succeeded 

 in finding are scarcely more than trivialities, and Sir. Allsoj) 

 deserves hearty congratulation. 



TIauntx (ind Ilnhhies of (in Tiiiliiin (lincitil. By Mark Thornhill. 

 Blurray.) 6s. A volume of entertaining reading has been 

 compiled under the above title by a retired officer from a diary 

 kept in India many years ago. The diary contained observations 

 on birds, insect.", and animals, as well as memoranda on the 

 weather, notes of interviews with native visitors, and all sorts 

 of information peculiar to India and its people. The author 

 draws a vivid picture of his own quiet life ; describes his house, 

 and the arrangement of the rooms ; gives an account of his 

 office ; and introduces notices of native habits, institutions, 

 superstitions, and weird stories coming within his own experience. 

 Although the author declares his " observations are quite un- 

 scientific,'' he, nevertheless, writes with a lucidity and a power 

 of m.irshalling a heterogeneous multitude of facts quite beyond 

 the attainments, in this direction, of many who occupy lofty 

 positions in the world of science. As a book of popular in- 

 formation, gleaned by an European official in the ])lains of India, 

 we can, with assurance, recommend it, both for the diversion of 

 fireside travellers, and those who, for practical purposes, desire 

 to acquire sound knowledge of the country and its inhabitants 

 thi'ough a pleasant medium. 



.1 iielect BihlioiirapToi of Chemistry, 1492-1897. First supple- 

 ment. By Henry Camigton Bolton. (Smithsonian Institution.) 

 This octavo volume of about five hundred pages is a continuation 

 of the chief work, published in 1803. It brings the literature 

 of chemistry down to the close of the year 1897. Works on 

 chemistry — using the term in its broadest significance — are 

 grouped: — (1) Bibliography ; (2) Dictionaries ; (3) History; (4) 

 Biography ; (5) Chemistry, pure and applied : (6) Periodicals ; 



and (7) Alchemy. The last-named section is confined to the 

 original volume, as might have been expected, seeing that it is a 

 sort of dead language in our time. To give some idea of the 

 extent of chemical literature, we may here mention that the 

 number of titles in the present volume is five thousand five 

 hundred and fifty- four, and in the first volume twelve thousand 

 and thirt3'-one, making a grand total in the two volumes of 

 seventeen thousand five hundred and eighty-five I Here is a 

 marvellous resurrection : a gathering together of the dry bones, 

 so to speak, of old books for five hundred years past, and 

 interesting chiefly to one class of students — the chemists. 

 Although thej- may never be found accessible under one roof, 

 it is gratifying to know that most of them may be consulted in 

 our national collection at the British Museum. 



^4 Short History of the Progress of Scientific Chemistry in Our 

 Own Times. By Prof. W. A. TUden, F.R.s. (Longmans.) 5s. 

 net. To the student of chemistry, and to the general reader, 

 this volume will he of deep interest. It contains a concise 

 statement of the present position of chemical knowledge, and a 

 clear account of advances made during the past sixty years. 

 Among the subjects, of which the modern developments are traced, 

 are — thermo-chemistry, atomic theory, the periodic law and 

 dissociation, valency, synthetic;il chemistry, stereo-chemistry, 

 chemical affinity, and the liquefaction of gases. So far as we are 

 aware, no other volume exists in which the growth of knowledge 

 around each of these cardinal priuci]iles and divisions is dealt 

 with distinct from the general history of chemistry. Honours 

 students of the Department of Science and Art should find the 

 volume particularly helpful. 



Physics:: Experimental and Theoretical. Vol.1. Mechanics, 

 Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, Heat, and Acoustics. By R. H. 

 Jude, ii.sc, M.A. (Chapman & Hall.) Dr. Jude originally 

 intended simply to translate Prof. Gossin's well-known " Cours 

 de Physique," but a consideration of the differences in the 

 requirements of British students preparing for examiuations in 

 physical science led him to decide upon certain additions to, and 

 modifications of the French treatise. The sections dealing with 

 heat and sound have been largely re-written and very much 

 amplified in the present volume, while the earlier chapters 

 remain in much the same form as the original. The final result 

 is not altogether satisfactory, and the inequality of treatment 

 will, we fe.ir, prove very misleading to students. The first two 

 hundred pages or so of the volume supply a po]iular and more 

 or less introductory account of the leading principles of 

 mechanics, hydrostatics, and pneumatics, of much the same kind 

 as is to be found in the older books based upon Ganot and 

 Deschanel. The laws of heat, on the contrary, are treated much 

 more exhaustively, including as they do a mathematical exposition 

 of thermo-dynamics, which, for its intelligent appreciation, 

 requires a knowledge of fairly high mathematics, and leads the 

 student as far as the study of entropy and Van der Waal's 

 theorem. The volume is, on the whole, well illustrated, though 

 why Dr. Jude permitted the introduction of the roughest of 

 rough sketches on pages 173 and 175 we are at a loss to imagine. 

 And why is there no index ? One of the chief uses to which 

 the work was likely to be put is that of a reference book in the 

 numerous schools of science which have lately grown up, but in 

 its present incomplete form it cannot be used for this purpose. 

 But in spite of these deficiencies. Dr. Jude is too good a teacher 

 to produce an altogether second-rate book. His style is clear 

 and lucid, and we have no doubt that many students will read 

 the volume with interest and advantage. Our only regret is 

 that the inattention to the accessory matters which we have 

 mentioned detracts so much from the value of a careful and 

 extensive piece of labour. 



Stars and Telescopes. A Handbook of Popular Astronomy. 

 Founded on the Ninth Edition of Lynn's Celestial Motions. By 

 David P. Todd. (Boston : Little, Brown and Company. 1899.) 

 Mr. Lynn is known throughout the astronomical world for his 

 miniature volumes dealing with " Remarkable Comets," and 

 '■ Eclipses," and the " Celestial ^lotions.'' Taking the last-named 

 volume as a basis. Prof. David Todd has expanded it into a most 

 valuable compendium of what are the principal facts of 

 astronomy known at the present day. Although professedly 

 based on Mr. Lynn's earlier work, "Stars and Telescopes" is a 

 new creation, and bears the stamp of original treatment that 

 Prof. Todd seems able to impress on all the books he issues. 



