6i6 



NA TURE 



[October 25, 1894 



the north of Ireland to the west of Scotland, and the 

 description of the Old Man of Hoy as the result of 

 erosion in schistose rock, whereas it is a mass of hori- 

 zontallv stratified Old Red Sandstone. These examples 

 might be considerably reinforced were detailed criticism 

 necessar)-, but a graver defect is the way in which work 

 done by others than Frenchmen has been ignored. 

 Reference is certainly made to several British, German, 

 Russian, and American writers, but rarely at first hand, 

 and many works of the first importance have been 

 entirely overlooked. 



There are seven chapters dealing successively with 

 the movements of water in the sea, coast erosion, the 

 movements of sand (the two most satisfactory chapters), 

 the origin of beaches, deltas, estuaries, and the evidence 

 of movements of the land along the coasts, including 

 the origin of fjords. 



The treatment of estuaries is particularly inadequate. 

 The .Amazon and Congo are scarcely seriously touched on, 

 the part of salinity in determining the rt't^ime of tides in 

 an estuary is practically overlooked, and the relation of 

 the volume and velocity of a river to the volume of its 

 estuary is not worked out at all. Perhaps the most 

 marked omission is Prof Osborne Reynolds' magnificent 

 experiments on the synthesis of sandbanks by tides, and 

 the controlling relation of the configuration of the coasts 

 to that of the banks. 



Hut with many faults of execution, the plan of the 

 book is sound, and the work supplies a framework for 

 a treatise of great v,-ilue, which might be furnished if 

 the author would first prepare a bibliography of the 

 subject, and then undertake a thorough and leisurely 

 revision. H. R. M. 



The Mechanics of Hoisting Machinery. By Dr. Julius 

 Weisbach and Prof. Gustav Herrmann. Translated 

 from the second German edition by Karl P. Dahlstrom, 

 M.E. (London and New York : Macmillan and Co., 

 1893.) 

 This book is a translation from Prof. Herrmann's revised 

 edition of Weisbach's great work on engineering 

 mechanics. Several volumes of this work are familiar to 

 Engli>h readers. The present section, however, has 

 not previously appeared in English print, although its 

 value has long been recognised. Mr. Dahlstrom was in- 

 duced to undertake the translation, because he felt that 

 there was a want in our technical literature for a text- 

 book suitable for the higher grades of mechanics of 

 machinery. 



As the title implies, the contents of the work are 

 entirely concerned with hoisting machinery ; commencing 

 with the simple lever and screw-jack>, and going on with 

 all kinds of pulleys and blocks, windlasses and lifts, as 

 well as hydraulic plant, concludmg with hoisting 

 machinery for mines, cranes and sheers, excavators, 

 and drcilgers, &c. 



The treatment of these subjects is such that criticism 

 is nearly unnecessary. The examples and illustrations 

 are nearly all t iken from every-day engineering practice ; 

 some are, however, old-fashioned. Senior students will 

 obtain nany useful hints in this book, more especially on 

 studying the methods of working out the examples 

 through lut the volume. The diagrams are very clear 

 and to the point. One cannot help noticing that the 

 illustrations have in many cases a decidedly foreign 

 appearance, and the design would not be followed in 

 this country ; nevertheless, they serve the very useful 

 purpose of illustrating theoretical construciions by means 

 of every-diy objects. Fig. 65 rcpresenis the usual wood- 

 cut of the essential arrangement of an hydrostatic 

 press. The ram of the force-pump is shown the full 

 diameter of the cylinder, and therefore no passage exists 

 for the water to pass from the suction to the delivery 

 valve on the down stroke. Fig. 105 represents a two- 



NO. 1304, VOL. 50] 



cylinder geared steam winch, fitted with a peculiar slide 

 valve. \ description of this valve would have been in- 

 teresting, because only one eccentric appears to be 

 necessary, thus doing away with the noisy link motion, 

 especially when badly worn. 



The many references given add considerably to the 

 va lue and usefulness of this work, while the able mathe- 

 mati cal treatment of the more diliicult examples leaves 

 nothin g to be desired. The translator may be congratu- 

 lated on having added one more useful book to the 

 libra ry available to the student and engineer. 



N. J. L. 



An Elementary Manual of Zoology. By E. C. Cotes. 

 Pp. 119. (Calcutta : Government Printing Office, 1893.) 

 The encouragement given to scientific instruction and 

 research by the Indian Ciovernmentis knownto all who see 

 the many interesting and important publications which 

 issue from the difl'erent departments. Most branches of 

 natural knowledge are fostered in India with a care which 

 could be followed with advantage in the British Isles. 

 The work before us is not a voluminous report, nor is it a 

 richly illustrated monograph of the kind that often eman- 

 ates from the various departments of the Government. 

 In its way, however, it will do excellent service by pro- 

 viding a course of zoology suitable for the use of students 

 at the Imperial Forest School, Dehra Dun. The author, 

 who is lecturer on zoology in that school, and deput> 

 superintendent of the Indian Museum, points out that 

 theparticularaninials with which the Indian Forest ollicer 

 is concerned are not treated in sufficient detail in the 

 general text-books. His manual admirably supplies the 

 requisite information, and furnishes a sound elementary 

 course on the classification and habits of the commoner 

 Indian animals. The work is divided into two parts, the 

 first of which is a systematic course, while the second 

 consists of directions for the dissection and examination 

 of specimens. Theory and practice arc thus each given 

 a proper share of consideration. The book is a practical 

 one, and the theoretical matter included in it is only such 

 as is likely to be of use to the students for whom it has 

 been designed. Little reference is therefore made to the 

 fundamental theories of modern biology. 



Preservation of Health in India. By Sir J. Fayrer, 

 K.C.S.I., F.R.S. Pp. 51. (London: Macmillan and 

 Co., 1894.) 

 Thk young European who is about to take up a long 

 residence in India, could not do better than'' read, mark, 

 learn, and inwardly digest " what Sir Joseph Fayrer has 

 to say about the preservation of health there. In this 

 primer, so small that it will almost fit into the waistcoat- 

 pocket, we find a good summary of information with 

 regard to the physical characters and the climate of India. 

 To obviate the deleterious action of the latter, and pre- 

 serve health, the author lays down a few simple hygienic 

 rules which must be observed. He describes the diseases 

 and accidents in which immediate aid is rei|jired, and 

 states brielly the antidotes to be employed in each case. 

 Readers of the book will acquire, pleasintly and easily, a 

 fund of useful knowledge on the most important points 

 concerning health and possible sickness in our Eastern 

 Empire. 

 First Principles of Building. By Alex. Black. Pp. 329. 



(London ; Biggs and Co.) 

 Thkv who build houses will find many matters 

 connected with their occupation, presented in a prac- 

 tical light, in the book under review. The choice 

 and preparation of a site, the planning of the dwelling, 

 and the nature and use of the materials to be employed, 

 arc considered by the author from a technical point of 

 view. The work is a practical handbook for architects 

 and builders, and contains a mass of highly-compressed 

 information on all points pertaining to the erection of 

 residences. 



