i88 



NATURE 



[August 22, 1895 



Students appear to be now fairly well agreed about the 

 order in which the glyphs are to be read, and on the 

 identification of the signs representing days, months, and 

 some of the other divisions of time : but there still remains 

 for consideration a large number of glyphs to which the 

 most varied and contradictory interpretations ha\e been 

 given. 



The most essential qualification for a student of Maya 

 inscriptions is without doubt a thorough knowledge of the 

 Maya language as it is now spoken in Yucatan. Dr. 

 Brinton, who is a distinguished philologist, has doubtless 

 learnt all that imperfect dictionaries and grammars can 

 te.ich him, and on that account alone would hold a fore- 

 most position in the investigation. But the only way to 

 acquire the special knowledge which is now so much 

 needed is a prolonged residence in Yucatan itself, which 

 can be reached in five days from New N'ork ; and it 

 would be good news should we hear that Dr. Brinton has 

 used his great influence in persuading some of the well- 

 endowed universities or colleges in America to establish 

 travelling scholarships for the study of native .A.merican 

 languages, and had placed the Maya language first on 

 the list. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Harrmi' Butlcrflies and Mollis. \'ol. i. By J. L. Bonhote, 

 M.B.O.U., and Hon. N. C. Rothschild, F.E.S., K.Z.S. 

 8vo. Pp. xi. and 95. Plate. (Harrow : Wilbee, 1895.) 



At the present day, natural histor)' receives considerable 

 encouragement at our larger public schools and colleges, 

 many of which now boast a Natural History Society of 

 their own, and publish a journal of their own. The 

 naturalists of Harrow .School have struck out a bolder 

 path, and have begun to issue a series of manuals of their 

 local fauna, of which this is the second, the first, by Mr. 

 Barrett- Hamilton, having been devoted to the birds of 

 H arrow. 



The volume before us includes the Mtjcro-Lcpidoptcra 

 to the end of the Noctucc, and is illustrated by a useful 

 plate presented by the Hon. Walter Rothschild, repre- 

 senting the antenna; of the three British species of ///o, 

 the neuration of Pupilin inachapii, and the egg, lar\ a, and 

 pupa of Vitnts.ui uin/ui. The second volume will include 

 the remainder of the Macro- Lipidoptcrd, and the Picro- 

 p/ioridu: South has been followed for L.itin names, and 

 Newman for English names, and the indefinite term 

 '■ variety '" has been \ ery properly abandoned. 



The district included comprises, roughly speaking, a 

 ridius of about fi\e miles from Harrow Hill, and in- 

 corporates the notes of a considerable number of 

 observers, the majority being connected with Harrow 

 School. It consists mainly of a record of localities, 

 times of appearance, and habits, with occasional notes 

 on species not found in the district, or on aberrations. 



As a record of the present fauna of a restricted locality, 

 this little book will be of permanent value, in view of the 

 's which are always taking place in the appearance, 

 /'•arance, and variation in distribution and aliund- 

 a!i jj nf individual species. One or two species which 

 wi- should hardly have expected to meet with arc in- 

 cluded in the list, such as /.yi'irna corydcn, but we arc 

 surprised to miss not only such species as Aporia 

 cralirj^i 'which was common round London at the 

 beginning of the century, though probably no Harrow 

 records were kept sti far back), but to find no Krilillarics 

 recorded, c\( epi Ari^ynnis sc/ciii; ciiplirosyiic, papliia 

 and Mi'litiiii iiiirinin. The fondness of I'mirsMi it/a/iin/a 



for fruit is noticed ; and we may remark that V. aiitiopa 

 also shares this habit with its congener. 



.-Xltogcthcr, we have to congratulate the authors and 

 the Harrow School Scientific Society on having produced 

 a very creditable little book, and we hope that it will 

 serve as an incentixe to the members of other School 

 Scientific Societies to go and do likewise. W. K. K, 



Hand-list of Herbaceous Plants Cultivated in the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew. (Sold at the Royal Gardens, Kew.) 



.'Vbout a quarter of a century ago, the border-flowers in 

 which our grandsires delighted were all but pushed out 

 of existence by "bedding plants'' and ribbon-borders of 

 glaring hue. Nurserymen who had good stocks of the 

 older favourites found them unsaleable, and discarded 

 them accordingly. Then came a change, largely owing 

 to the influence exerted by Mr. Robinson's publications. 

 "Herbaceous" and ".Alpine" plants were once more 

 received into favour, and are probably more numerous 

 and more extensively cultivated than ever they were. 

 Kew, as usual, has been responsive to popular demands. 

 In times well within the memory of the present genera- 

 tion, the plants we speak of were grown there, as in 

 otlier botanic gardens, in ugly gridiron-like beds, an 

 arrangement which might have been suitable for strictly 

 botanical purposes, but which was as unattractive as 

 possible. 



To obviate this, and to allow of the plants grownig in 

 the most natural way possible, the new rockery was 

 formed, mainly, we believe, after the plans of .Mr. Dyer. 

 At any rate, it now forms one of the most attractive 

 features in the garden, and with the frames and " .-Xlijine 

 House," serves excellently to illustrate this class of 

 plants. 



A proper catalogue, of course, became necessary, for, 

 unfortunately, the names and descriptions in the most 

 popular books on the subject, are not to be depended 

 upon. The present publication is an alphabetical list, 

 the only information given in addition to the names, 

 being a mention of the botanist responsible for the name, 

 and a general indication of the native country of the 

 plant. 



The names of the botanical authorities are given in the 

 contracted form adopted in scientific works ; but in a list 

 of this character, which is mainly intended for unscientific 

 readers, the names should either be gi\ en in full, or an 

 explanation of the abbreviations supplied. 



No fewer than 6cxx) species, it appears, are now grown 

 at Kew, including, we see, as many as a hundred species 

 of Carex. 



A Manual of liook-keepinj;. By J. riiornlon. I'p. 527. 

 (London : Macmillan and Co., 1895.) 



Thk late Prof. Cayley is quoted by the author to have 

 said of l5ook-keeping, " It is only its extreme simplicity 

 which prevents it being as interesting as it otherwise 

 would be." But what was simplicity to the master of 

 pure mathematics is very far from being so to the average 

 shopkeeper, as witness the testimonies of Ofticial Re- 

 ceivers in Bankruptcy. As Mr. Thornton points out, a 

 general opinion among uneducated tradesmen is that 

 Ijook-kecping was in\ented- to conceal the facts ; and 

 therefore they think the least they know about i( the 

 higher is their code of commercial ethics. This Ijook 

 will undoubtedly assist in rcmo\ing such mistaken 

 opinions ; it is the clearest exposition of the .principles 

 and practice of book-keeping that we hav c yet seen, and 

 the most original in design. The science and art of the 

 subject arc dealt with simply ; the matter is arranged in 

 an admiral)Ie manner ; and by subordinating details to 

 principles, the author has made his l)(>ok worthy of the 

 attention of all students who wish to acquire a sound and 

 sricnlin( knowlc dijr of book-keeping. 



NO. 1347, VOL. 52] 



