October 15, 1903] 



NATURE 



571 



violent emotion, the respirations of the two brothers 

 were never isochronous, but in opposite phases. 

 Owing to congenital association, these differences of 

 character were found to be harmonised, as might be 

 anticipated, in action. Quarrels were rare; Liao 

 Sienne Chen meekly followed his better half. They 

 had from their birth eaten and performed other func- 

 tions simultaneously. In waking, however, one re- 

 covered consciousness before the other, and roused 

 him. It was found possible for one of the brothers 

 to sleep while the other kept awake. But does this 

 in reality, as the authors affirm (p. 175), " speak 

 singularly against a chemical theory of sleep which 

 makes it appear under the influence of toxic 

 products "? C. S. Myers. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Electrolytic Preparations. By Dr. Karl Elbs, translated 



by R. S. Hutton, M.Sc. Pp. xi + 100. (London : 



Edward Arnold, 1903.) Price 45. 6d. net. 

 Electrochemical methods are now becoming of such 

 importance, and are being so largely employed both 

 in the laboratory and in technical processes, that the 

 translation of Dr. Elbs's little work on electrolytic 

 preparations — " Exercises for use in the laboratory 

 by chemists and electrochemists " — will be sure to be 

 welcomed by English-speaking students. 



The book is divided into two parts. Part i., which 

 is general, deals with sources of current and con- 

 nections, resistances, apparatus for electrolysis, &'C. 

 Dr. Elbs considers that accumulators can alone be 

 looked upon as a source of current for laboratory 

 purposes, and he gives some uselul hints as to 

 coupling up and how to use the cells. 



Several pages are devoted to apparatus for electro- 

 lysis. As kathode material almost any metal may 

 be employed, unless the electrolyte fs very strongly 

 acid. But for anodes, nearly all metals, with the 

 exception of platinum, are attacked. Lead may often 

 be used owing to its becoming coated with a super- 

 ficial layer of peroxide which prevents further action 

 taking place. 



Part ii. is devoted to the experimental portion of 

 the work. The examples from inorganic chemistry 

 which come first are divided into two parts. The first 

 deals with experiments with unattackable anodes, the 

 second portion with soluble anodes. Under the first 

 heading are given the methods of preparation of such 

 substances as chlorates, bromates and iodates, and 

 persulphates, under the second heading the prepar- 

 ation of white lead, cuprous and cupric oxide. 



On p. 47 the student is introduced to the electrolysis 

 of organic acids. This part is well arranged, and 

 the theoretical principles are carefully and clearly 

 gone into. A detailed explanation is given of the 

 various reactions which may occur in the electrolysis 

 of organic acids. Here there seems to be a field for 

 further research, because although many of the ex- 

 planations given probably approximately explain what 

 actually does occur, others seem hardly conclusive, 

 so that at any rate further light upon the subject 

 would be welcome. 



No less than eighteen examples of electrolytic re- 

 duction are given, while there are only two on 

 electrolytic oxidation. This is mainly due to the 

 fact that reduction work, generally speaking, is much 

 easier to carry out than work on oxidation. This 

 applies both to pure chemistry and to electrochemistry. 

 Further, electrochemical methods of oxidation have 



NO. 1772, VOL. 68] 



not been tried by chemists to anything like the same 

 extent as have reduction methods. 



The book is very well printed and got up, and Mr. 

 Hutton has done his part — the translation of the work 

 — very satisfactorily. F. M. P. 



A Concise Handbook of Garden Flowers. By H. M. 



Batson. Pp. vii 4- 256. (London : Methuen and 



Co., 1903.) Price 35. 6d. 

 This is an alphabetical list of a large number of 

 ordinary garden plants, together with brief indications 

 of height, colour of flowers, native country, natural 

 order, season of flowering, mode of propagation, and 

 purpose for which they may be used in the garden. 

 Within its rather restricted limitations the book seems 

 carefully compiled, and the proofs have evidently been 

 read with attention, for abundant as are the opportuni- 

 ties for falling into error, misprints are hardly to be 

 found. The word " family " is, however, used in many 

 cases where "genus" should be employed; thus the 

 Galegas are styled a hardy family. Of course, Galega 

 is a genus of the family Leguminosse. An even more 

 misleading statement is that in which Narcissus 

 Barrii is spoken of as '* a family of star-narcissus," 

 whatever that may be. 



The cultural details, though very concise, are 

 apparently trustworthy, but there is ample room for 

 difference of opinion about these matters. Thus the 

 author says of Gentiana acaulis that "it is easy of 

 culture." It may be so in places, but after a long ex- 

 perience with it under varying conditions, but in one 

 particular garden, we have never been successful in 

 getting it to flower, whilst in another we have experi- 

 enced no difficulty. The author has succeeded in find- 

 ing English names for most, if not all, of the plants he 

 mentions. If such names are to be given, they should 

 be employed with as much precision as the technical 

 appellations. To call Narcissus poeticus the " poet's 

 daffodil," or Narcissus Tazetta "the polyanthus 

 flowered daffodil," is surely to introduce confusion 

 where none need be experienced. A full index is 

 added, which adds greatly to the convenience of the 

 reader. We should like to suggest to the author that, 

 in a future edition, he should enumerate the names 

 of the genera in alphabetical order under the heading 

 of the natural order to which they belong. Search for 

 the name of a plant would by such means be much 

 facilitated, as most lovers of plants are familiar at 

 least with the principal natural orders. 

 Lavori marittimi ed Impianti portuali. By Flavio 



Bastiani. Pp. xxiv4-424. (Milan : Ulrico Hoepli, 



1903.) Price 6.50 lire. 

 This is one of the " Manueli Hoepli," a series of 

 pocket books in which the Italian " man in the street " 

 can, at a small cost, obtain information on such diverse 

 subjects as elliptic functions, 'Volapiik, botany, oils and 

 olives, Greek mythology, and English weights and 

 measures. The present volume deals with the con- 

 struction and working of docks, harbours, wharves, 

 canals, lighthouses, in short all fixed structures 

 connected with navigation. It is illustrated by 209 

 woodcuts, and the last part contains a summary of 

 Italian laws relating to harbours, harbour dues, and 

 such matters. 

 II Moto degli loni nelle Scariche elettriche. By 



Augusto Righi. Pp. 66; with 3 plates and several 



woodcuts. (Bologna : Nicola Zanichelli, 1903.) 

 This book contains, with some amplifications, an 

 almost verbatim report of a lecture delivered by Prof. 

 Righi to a branch of the Italian Electrotechnical 

 Society at Bologna. It deals with the theory of 

 electrons, considered with special reference to kathodic 

 rays, ionisation of gases, Lorentz's theory, and the 

 production of electric shadows. 



