March 7, 1895] 



NA TURE 



435 



The condition expressed in the last sentence is one 

 that miy be regarded as essential, and only by adopting 

 it as a guiding principle can any dictionary or cyclopaedia 

 worthy of the name be constructed. It follows from this 

 that the various groups of subjects could not be pre- 

 sented with equal fulness ; accordingly we find that 

 persons and places are given a much greater amount of 

 space than any other clas5. The personal names in- 

 cluded in the volume embrace not only actual biography, 

 but also mythology, legend, and fiction. We are chiefly 

 concerned with the names of men of science, and, 

 so far as can be judged from test references, few 

 names of importance have been omitted. But even 

 if a few omissions have been committed, it would be 

 ungracious to condemn the work on that score ; rather let 

 us marvel at the number of names that have not been over- 

 looked, and at the care which must have been expended in 

 bringing so much accurate information together. Who 

 but those that have had to investigate biographical de- 

 tails can understand the difficulties which crop up in the 

 matter of dates, due to different styles of reckoning, and 

 the differences between various authorities ? It cannot 

 be laid down that in every case the most trustworthy 

 authority has been selected ; nevertheless, there is ample 

 evidence in the volume to show that judicious discrimina- 

 tion has been used. 



The geographical names given include every town, 

 place, or locality likely to be looked for by the average 

 man ; physical and political divisions of the earth ; 

 rivers, lakes, seas, &c. ; and natural curiosities. In the 

 spelling of place-names, the established usage in the 

 language from which the name is taken has generally 

 been accepted. In many cases, however, where the 

 established English usage differs more or less from the 

 native form, no general considerations can be applied. 

 Instances of this are : Munich for the German Munchen, 

 Flushing for the Dutch Vlissingen, Hanover for the 

 German Hannover. Having regard to the fact that there 

 is a tendency to return to the native form of spelling 

 place-names, where the difference between this form and 

 the Anglicised orthography is slight (as in Hannover), 

 the former has usually been taken. This seems to 

 be a common-sense rule to follow, and it enforces the 

 opinion of many geographers that the correct spelling of 

 a place-name is the local one. 



The general plan of the dictionary will be understood 

 from the foregoing brief description. It only remains to 

 be said that, as a collection of proper names, the work is 

 the most complete one-volurne cyclopaedia that has ever 

 come under our notice. No scientific society should be 

 without the volume, and every reference library ought to 

 have a copy on its shelves. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Varied Occupations in IVeainng. By Louisa Walker. 

 Pp. 224. (London : Macmillan and Co., 1895.) 



There is a scientific and an artistic side to the kinder- 

 garten system of education. Froebel's graduated sets 

 of simple apparatus, known as " gilts," are most 

 valuable in training a child to observe and think. The 

 first of the gifts, consisting of six wool balls, coloured re- 

 spectively violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, 



NO. 1323, VOL. 51] 



serve to teach elementary colours ; the second, con- 

 sisting of a wooden cube, a sphere, and a cylinder, is 

 used to familiarise children with geometrical forms, and 

 with the figures presented when the objects are rotated 

 around different axes. A number of other gifts follow 

 these, each calculated to develop the minds of the 

 infants for whom they are intended. So much cannot 

 be said, however, for all the " varied occupations " which 

 are carried on in many elementary schools. The edu- 

 cational value of an occupation such as that described 

 in the book before us, lies not in the development of 

 the mind, but in the training of the hand and eye. If 

 the elements of kindergarten knowledge have been pre- 

 viously acquired by the young students, there is no 

 harm in teaching how to weave paper mats, and to do 

 macramc work, though our opinion is that the child 

 might be better employed in object-lessons, which 

 naturally follow a scientifically arranged kindergarten 

 course. For this playing at making things is often 

 carried too far, and leads to technical instruction being 

 given before instruction in the broad principles incul- 

 cated by means of Froebel's early gifts. Possibly we 

 do not fully appreciate the value of hand and eye train- 

 ing for children. The greatest benefit to be derived 

 from such training seems to be the cultivation of the 

 imitative and inventive faculties. Addition and multi- 

 plication can be taught by the weaving occupations 

 described by Mrs. Walker, but they can be taught just 

 as well by means of Froebel's gilts. However, the 

 book is the outcome of twenty years' experience in 

 kindergarten methods of teaching, and therefore should 

 be of great service to teachers of children, even though its 

 value, when viewed from a scientific pomt of view, is 

 but little. 



Horse Breeding for Farmers. By Alfred E. Pease. 



(London: Macmillan and Co., 1S94.) 

 The aim and object of this little work is to impress upon 

 the impecunious present-day farmer the pecuniary profit 

 which is to be derived from horse-breeding ; and if the 

 balance-sheets which Mr. Pease produces are to be relied 

 upon, it undoubtedly constitutes a profitable pursuit. 

 Unfortunately, however, so much depends upon the 

 judgment, care, and skill bestowed by the individual in 

 the purchase of suitable mares, the selection of proper 

 sires, as well as upon the business capacity of the breeder, 

 when the time arrives for placing the produce upon 

 the market, that a profit on paper may readily be con- 

 verted into a loss in practice. More particularly is this so 

 in the case of the lighter breeds, such as the hunter 

 and high-class carriage horse, whose value is largely 

 dependent upon the thoroughness with which they have 

 been trained and schooled. -Mainly for these reasons we 

 believe that the average farmer will be best advised to 

 confine his horse-breeding operations to the heavier or 

 agricultural breeds. They possess the additional ad- 

 vantage of being more docile, less trouble to break in, 

 more useful to the farmer whilst young, and, finally, are 

 more readily disposed of. The other breeds are best 

 left to the landowners and so-called gentleman-farmer. 

 Holding these views, we regret Mr. Pease should devote 

 twenty pages to tracing the origin and history of the 

 English thoroughbred, the Arab, the Barb, and other 

 Oriental breeds. 



For the rest, the book is replete with valuable in- 

 formation on the subject it professes to deal with, and 

 may be cordially and unreservedly recommended to 

 those who are inclined to try their luck in horse-breeding. 

 To our minds, the final chapter, which treats of the 

 ailments which horseflesh is heir to, is the least satis- 

 factory. This IS hardly to be wondered at, when we 

 bear in mind how wide a subject is veterinary science, 

 and how small a space Mr. Pease has devoted to its 

 consideration. W. F. G. 



