634 



NATURE 



[October 30, 1890 



dence to hand at present is that the former bird inhabits 

 the mountains of the interior of Japan, whilst the Accentor 

 may be only A. rubidtcs, but it is at least well to say so. 

 Then again the recent work of Mr. Ogilvie-Grant on 

 Platalea and Turnix was worth a little consideration. 

 The nomenclature proposed for the latter genus is not 

 adopted, and in spite of the large series of measure- 

 ments given by Mr. Grant to show that the Eastern race 

 of the common Spoonbill has a longer bill than the 

 Western race, Mr. Seebohm states that he has been 

 " unable to find the slightest evidence of the truth of this 

 statement," a mode of criticism more forcible than exact. 

 We might also ask the author why he persists in calling 

 the Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola instead of S. rusttcula, 

 and the Wild Duck, Anas boschas instead of A. boscas? 

 Also why does he misspell Linnasus's name throughout 

 the work 1 Mr. Seebohm has, however, his own ideas as 

 to the fitness of things, and he is in many respects too 

 ultra-conservative for us to hope that our criticism will 

 move him. Otherwise we might ask what is the use of 

 Eurhinorhytichus having its spoon-shaped bill, if it is to 

 be merged in the genus Tringa ? Again, to merge so 

 many species under the genus Ptcus, and again under 

 Fringilla, which most of us consider to belong to re- 

 cognizable genera, tends to fog and confuse the ideas of 

 geographical distribution, and by no means simplifies the 

 study, as Mr. Seebohm would have us believe. 



We may add that the work is illustrated by figures 

 from the author's work on the CharadoiidcB, but a large 

 number of new cuts are added, which increase the utility 

 of the diagnoses in the classificatory part of the work. 



R. BOWDLER SHARPE. 



JEANS' S " WA TER WA YS AND WA TER 

 TRANSPORT." 

 Waterways and Water Transport. By J. Stephen 

 Jeans, M.R.I., F.S.S. (London and New York : E, 

 and F. N. Spon, 1890.) 



THIS volume is intended to give a description of the 

 waterways of the world and water transport, and 

 more particularly means of transport by artificial water- 

 ways. Under the heading of " The Transportation Pro- 

 blem," the author deals with the vast improvements made 

 during recent years in roads, both ordinary and rail, and 

 with the great advancement of trade caused by better 

 means of transport during the last hundred years. He shows 

 that, although canals may be considered as belonging to 

 a bygone day, they are now coming again into prominence 

 as a cheap means of transport, and that probably they 

 will in many cases be made the nucleus of a new and 

 better system, under which the great inland towns of 

 Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire may practi- 

 cally become maritime places. Chapters ii., iii., and 

 iv. deal with the English river and canal system, and 

 the waterways of Scotland and Ireland, giving an 

 historical account, and showing how most of them in 

 many ways have grown and improved. Readers of this 

 volume will be surprised no doubt at the network of 

 canals in this country : one is accustomed to think of 

 railways as the only means of transport, and to forget the 

 really large traffic carried by canals in many counties. 

 The author tells us of the many continuous lines of water 

 NO. 1096, VOL. 42] 



communication between different commercial centres of 

 importance in England, and points out how often it 

 happens that the through routes are rendered useless for 

 really large boats, owing to the locks being shorter or 

 narrower on one section than on another — thus allowing 

 the smallest lock to be the gauge of the boat— down to the 

 very low maximum of twenty- four tons on the canal 

 system between the Derbyshire district and London. 



On projected canals the author has much of course to 

 say. The Manchester Ship Canal, which has attracted 

 so much attention, no doubt has been the cause of many 

 similar projects. The Forth and Clyde Canal is designed 

 to enable vessels of considerable tonnage to pass from 

 sea to sea, the present waterway being too contracted 

 to be of much use. The Sheffield and Goole Canal is 

 projected to form an improvement on the present navi- 

 gation, to enable barges carrying 700 tons, and small 

 sea-going steamers carrying 300 to 400 tons, to come to 

 Sheffield for cargoes, and to serve the South Yorkshire 

 collieries. The proposed waterways from Birmingham to 

 the sea aremow being considered in that district. In 

 short, the present tendency seems to be to bring the ship 

 to the manufactory, and thus save the railway charges to 

 the coast for the carriage of the manufactured article. 



The book is divided into three sections, the first of 

 which concludes with a good detailed description of the 

 waterways of different countries. Holland, the land of 

 dykes and ditches, appears to have a splendid system of 

 water communication, and the United States has re- 

 ceived ample notice at the hands of the author. The 

 waterways of British India are described, and the 

 question of canals versus railways in that country is 

 discussed. The author says that " Sir Arthur Cotton has 

 eveiv advocated the summary and indefinite suspension 

 of nearly all railway schemes and works, in order that the 

 attention of the Government might be concentrated upon 

 canals, mainly for irrigation, but also adapted for purposes 

 of navigation." This is all very well from the canal point 

 of view, but it would be interesting to calculate the 

 capacity of canals capable of contending with the 

 present traffic on the railways, excluding any military 

 questions from the subject ; and in case of the famine 

 railways, i.e. railways built to distribute food as a 

 primary reason for their existence, and where quickness 

 of delivery becomes the all-important consideration, the 

 comparison becomes absurd. Much important work has, 

 however, been done in India by an extensive system of 

 artificial waterways serving the dual purpose of irriga- 

 tion and navigation, and by careful superintendence the 

 country is greatly improved and enriched by their use. 



Section II. of the volume treats of the important 

 subject of ship canals. The greatest artificial waterway 

 constructed up to the present time has been the Suez Canal, 

 and this monument of engineering skill is very properly 

 dealt with first in this section. It is interesting to note 

 that some of the earliest canals recorded were constructed 

 between Suez and the Nile, and these were for some reason 

 allowed to fall into decay. The author gives an excellent 

 account of the construction of the Suez Canal ; the 

 political and monetary difficulties encountered by M. de 

 Lesseps in the early days of the company are explained ; 

 and the ultimate completion and enormous growth of 

 traffic through the canal are well described. On p. 208, we 



