January 1, lOW.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



19 



of Granby and Mr. Dewar. The Haiuiishire Highlands lio in 

 the northwest corner of tlie county, a part little known to the 

 tourist. The author's pleas;intly written description of the 

 spot he loves so well, and his enjjrossiug account of the many 

 country pleasures to be enjoyed there, makes one wish to visit 

 the district. Although there is perhaps nothing new in the 

 author's observations, we have derived much peaceful pleasure 

 in the perusal of the well-told experieuces, anecdotes, and 

 observations of this keen field naturalist and sportsman. The 

 illustrations are like the letterpress — restful and most soothing. 



Chat-i about the }ficrosiope. By Henry C. Shelley. (Scien- 

 tific Press, Ltd.) Illustrated. 2s. A little book intended to enlist 

 the interest of aimless pedestrians in country ])laces who sacri- 

 fice the pleasure and instruction contained in every mossy bank, 

 every darkling pool — the happy hunting-ground freely accessible 

 to all who will but avail themselves of the key to Nature's 

 precious casket. The book is but a slender introduction to pond 

 life, diatoms, foraminifera, and a few other kindred subjects ; 

 lacking the sequence necessaiy as a basis of pure scientific study, 

 it is better adapted as a guide in using the microscope incident- 

 ally as a source of innocent amusement. The illustrations are 

 anything but attractive — the " porous cells of mosse.s," for 

 example, figured on p. 00, look as stiff and mechanical as if 

 intended as a working drawing for the making of book-shelves. 



Daririnhm and LatnarckUiu. By F. W. Hutton, f.k.?. 

 (Duckworth & Co.) ;!s. tjd. net. Apparently this book consists 

 of a verbatim report of four lectures delivered, in part, as far 

 back as 1887. A great part of the old ground is traversed once 

 again, and little, if any, additional light is shed upon the all- 

 absorbing subject. AVhat is new may be termed the bearer of 

 the candlestick, Mr. Hutton himself, who contrives to project 

 the luminous rays into the holes, corners, and crooked by-ways 

 of the fabric raised by Darwin, Lamarck, and the thousand-and- 

 one workers who have followed in the footsteps of these illus 

 trious pioneers. The best we can say of the book is that it is 

 a handy bird's-eye view of evolution in the wider sense of that 

 terra. 



C'^miii'in Sense Health Reform. By T. Thatcher. With 

 supplementary article on " The Gospel of the Open AViudow,'' 

 by the Hon. Auberon Herbert. (Simpkin, Marshall & Co.) 2d. 

 Mr. Thatcher is a hero, we know, and not alone because Mr. 

 Auberon Herbert has told us so ; but we are not quite sure 

 that a calm consideration of the long vista of trapeze bars, 

 horizontal bars, stirrups and rings, punching balls, and divers 

 developers which Mr. Thatcher opens up before us, will not be 

 held to constitute him a martyr as well. But his efforts are 

 made in the best of good causes— that of robust health ; and 

 we heartily commend this description of his experiences to all 

 in search of health guidance. 



On the Ctilit;/ of Kw ndedge- mak! luj «s a Means of Liberal 

 Traininij. By Professor J. G. JLicgregor, of Dalhousie College, 

 Halifax. (Nova Scotia Printing Co., Halifax, X.S.) We are 

 obliged to Professor Macgregor for sending us a copy of his 

 informing inaugural address on a subject of so much interest to 



KNiPWLKlKiK. 



We have received JEessrs. T. Cooke and Sons' illustrated 

 catalogue of telescopes, transit instruments, spectroscopes, 

 chronographs, micrometers, driving clocks, observatories, and 

 other astronomical and scientific instruments. As is well known 

 among practical workers, there is now a tendency among some 

 makers of these instruments to lower prices at the expense of 

 quality in workmanship, but this firm proceeds on the principle 

 that '■ it is impos-sible to do good work at the cost of bad," and 

 many, as we can testify, know this truism only too well. 



We are glad to receive the new edition of Mr. Mee's " Heavens 

 at a Glance.'" This handy little almanac^printed on one side 

 of a card for obseiTatory use — has been prepared for 19U0 on 

 the same lines as for 1899, and will be found a valuable and 

 convenient guide to observers. The data for meteoric showers 

 have been taken from Mr. Donning's list in -'Observational 

 Astronomy," for variable stars from information supplied by 

 Sir Cuthbert Peek, Mr. J. E. Gore, and Mr. J. Grover, and the 

 rest from the " Nautical Almanac." 



Early in the new year 5Ir. John C. Nimmo will publish the first 

 volume by Prof. Sayce, of Oxford, of "The Semitic Series," a new 

 series of handbooks, intended to present coinpactly and in popular 

 form a knowledge of the more iroiK>rtant facts in tlie hist<jry, religion, 

 government, langu:ige, customs, etc., of the Babylonians, Assyrians, 

 and allied Semitic races of aucicut historv. 



BOOKS RECEIVED, 



Memori/ Training : Its Laios and /heir Application to Practical 

 Life. By Chri8to)iber Louia Pelman. (7(1, Herncrs Street.) 



Common Seme Health Heform. By 'i'. Thatcher. (Simpkin.) 



On the Vtilitii of Knowledge-Making as a Means of Liberal 

 Training. l!y J'rof. J. O. Maigregor. 



Teleographg. l!y Thomas R. Dallmejer, f.r.a.8. (Hcinemann.) 

 Illustrated. 15s. net. 



The Christmas Sookseller, 1S'J9. (Whitaker.) Is. 



J'he Advance of Knoirledge. By W. Sedgwick. (Allen.) 63. 



The Bot/hood of a Naturalist. By Kred Smith. (lUackie.) lis. 6d. 



£nglishiromans Year Book, I'JOO. (lihick.) 28. fid. net. 



Who's Who, 1900. (Black.) :{3. (id. net. 



Science and Faith. By i)r. Paul Topinard. Translated by 

 Tliomas J. MeCormao. (Kegan Paid.) 'is. 6d. net. 



A First Book in On/anie Evolution. By D. Kerfoot Sliute. 

 (Kegan Paul.) 7a. 6d. 



The " Mechanical World " Pocket Diary, 1900. (Emmott.) fid. 



Makers of Modern Prose- By W. 3. Dawson. (Hodder and 

 Stoughton.) (is. 



Co-ordinate Geomelri/ — The Conic, liy J. II. Grace, B.A., and 

 J'". Rosenberg, M.A. (Clivc.) ts. fid. 



Twelve Months' Notes on Birds in the South Mams District — 

 {August, lSi9f<-99). Hy E. X. Savage Elliot. 



Letters of Farada'g and Schoenhein, 1SM)-1SI)2. Edited by 

 Kahlbaum and Darbisliire. ^Williams and Norgate.) 115s. net. 



The Mind of the Nation. By Marcus R. P. Dorman, M.D. 

 (Kegan Paul.) 12s. net. 



The Storg of the Wanderings of Atoms. By M. M. Patlison 

 Muir. (Newnes.) Is. 



Useful Arts and Handicrafts Series: — Picture Frames ly Novel 

 Methods. Dges, Stains, and Inks. Decorated Woodwork and Wood 

 Carving for Beginners. (Uawbarn & Ward.) Illustrated. Each, 

 fid. net. 



Whitaker's Almanack, 1900. Whitaker's Peerage, 1900. 



The Races of Man. By 0. Deuiker, sen. (Paris.) 



Contemporary Science Series. Walter Seott. Illustrated, fis. 



Optical Activity and Chemical Composition. By Dr. II. Laudolt. 

 Translated by John MeCrac, PU.u. (Whitaker.) -Is. fid. 



Monthly Star Maps for 1900. By W. B. Blaikie. (Scottish 

 Provident. Institution.) 



Social Chess. By James Mason. (Horace Cox.) 



The Studio. December. Is. 



THE BLACK RAIN OF AUGUST 6, 1899. 



By Major L. A. Eddie, f.r.a.s. 



On August 14th, 18S8, a heavy fall of black rain 

 (an account of which I published in the " Grahams- 

 towu Journal," of August 28th, 1888) took place in 

 Grahamstown and the surrounding districts, extending 

 over an area of more than 360 square miles, when 1 

 advanced several theories in an endeavour to explain 

 the cause of this curious phenomenon ; but no micro- 

 scopical examination of the water itself was made on 

 that occasion. During the early part of the month of 

 August, in many of the intervening years sinco this 

 recorded fall, there have been similar downfalls of 

 blackish rain, though less joronounced, which have been 

 cither observed by myself or reported to me by others. 



The fall in August, 1888, was heralded by an almost 

 incessant low rumbling thunder, and, in like manner, 

 the fall of black rain on the early morning of Sunday, 

 the 6th August, 1899, which I have now to record, was 

 preceded by a continuous bombardment of muffled 

 growling thunder varied by one smart deafening peal. 

 This storm followed after two days of a stiff south- 

 easter. The storm, accompanying raiu, and the corre- 

 sponding time of the year, to my recollection agreeing 

 with that of August, 18SS, induced me to inspect the 

 water that had fallen, when I was not surprised to find 

 the colour and ajipearauoe of the fluid to resemble that 

 of the previous August, viz., to be of a sable tint as if 

 mixed with ink. On putting by some of this dusky 

 fluid in a white enamelled vessel, I soon observed that 

 the liquid partially cleared, and a black sediment waa 



