February i, 1900] 



NATURE 



317 



congratulated upon the success which has attended his 

 labours, which it would appear from the preface have ex- 

 tended over three years. The added illustrations are 

 singularly true to nature, and as numerous as could well 

 1)6 desired The bibliography is somewhat limited for a 

 work of this kind, and it would have been worth an effort 

 to render the list of works bearing upon the structure 

 of each organ as complete^at least, so far as recent 

 vears are concerned — as possible. Nevertheless, im- 

 portant papers are looked for in vain amongst the 

 references. And the lack of an index cannot be too 

 strongly condemned. For it is impossible to understand 

 what object can possibly be served by dispensing with 

 that part of a book the absence of which renders difficult 

 the proper employment of all the rest ! Why is it that it 

 is only in German books that we still find this unaccount- 

 able tendency to omit the all-important index? Echo 

 can only answer. Why indeed ? They do not manage 

 these things better in Germany. But they are beginning 

 to improve. 



The Evolution of Geography. A Sketch of the Rise and 

 Progress of Geographical Knowledi>e from the Earliest 

 Times to the First Circtnnnavigation of the Globe. By 

 John Keane. Pp. xvi -f i6o. (London : Edward 

 Stanford, 1899.) 

 The second title is more descriptive than the first, which 

 suggests a much more ambitious scheme than the author 

 had before him. This little book makes no claim to 

 originality in matter or method. It is a compilation 

 from accessible sources, and, so far as it goes, is a piece 

 of careful and conscientious work. It is neither critical 

 nor learned, and it would be unfair to review it as if it 

 pretended to such distinction. The chapters are con- 

 cerned mainly with the history of discovery under the 

 titles of ancient geography, the early Christian ages, the 

 crusading impulse, early and mediicval maps, Henry the 

 Navigator, aids to geographical expansion, and Magellan. 

 The statements of generally acknowledged facts are 

 accurate as a rule, and controversial matters are usually 

 excluded. Mathematical and physical geography do not 

 receive adequate notice, even for so small a scale as is 

 employed. 



The first part of the title of the book led us to hope 

 for a philosophical study of the science of geography, 

 and its rise from the earliest times to its present 

 stage of development ; but such a work is still to write. 

 Still to write also are « studies of early Chinese and 

 Hindu geographical knowledge ; indeed, the whole work- 

 ing of the early Oriental mind on geographical problems 

 offers a nearly virgin field, but one that can only be 

 entered by an author well-versed in modern geography 

 and in Eastern languages. 



In the present modest work the best feature is un- 

 doubtedly the collection of maps, most of them reproduced 

 from previously published English books, but some now 

 shown for the first time in outline on a small scale. It 

 is hard to believe that Magellan's ship, the Victoria., 

 really bore her name all along the side in huge letters 

 like a modern light-ship, as the frontispiece shows ; but 

 the responsibility for this is relegated to Levinus Hulsius, 

 who published the original drawing in 1602. H. R. M. 



First Steps in Earth- Knowledge ; being an Introduction 

 to Physio(rraphy {Section /.). By J. A. Harrison, 

 B.Sc. Edited by W. J. Harrison, vi -|- 290 pp. 

 (London : Blackie and Son, Ltd., 1899.) 

 As the German term " Erdkunde," or its literal render- 

 ing, "Earth-Knowledge," signifies something different 

 from an elementary treatment of the fundamental laws 

 of physics and chemistry, such as Mr. Harrison's book 

 provides, his title is a little incorrect and likely to be 

 misleading. At the same time the author gives what is 

 on the whole a satisfactory introduction to science, such 



SO. 1579, VOL. 61] 



as is included in Sectiem I. of the syllabus in physio- 

 graphy of the Science and Art Department and in the 

 schedule of requirements for pupil-teachers, issued by 

 the Education Department. The book is distinctly 

 attractive, being clearly printed and well illustrated. 

 But certain blemishes have revealed themselves in 

 examining the contents more carefully. We have looked 

 in vain for any reference to the anomalous expansion of 

 water when heated, and no method of determining 

 the temperature at which it possesses its maximum 

 density seems to be given. As so much attention is 

 bestowed upon the construction of thermometers, and 

 the reasons for the employment of mercury are duly 

 tabulated, this omission is rather a grave one. In ex- 

 plaining reflection and refraction of light no reference is 

 made to the simple pin methods of demonstration which 

 are so useful in enabling students to deduce the laws for 

 themselves. The chemistry section would have been 

 improved if a more rational plan of treatment had been 

 adopted. 



Die Orkane des '•'• Fernen Ostens!'^ By Prof. Dr. Paul 

 Bergholz. Pp. xii-f-260. With 31 lithographed charts, 

 33 tables, and 7 figures. (Bremen and Shanghai : 

 Max Nossler, 1900.) 

 Thk Kaiser's remark, "Our future lies on the water," 

 has induced Dr. Bergholz, in charge of the Bremen 

 Meteorological Observatory, to devote a great deal of his 

 time to the study of tropical hurricanes, and particularly 

 to those of the Eastern Seas, because, as he states in his 

 preface, the increase of German trade is especially 

 noticeable in Eastern waters, a fact which is demonstrated 

 to Englishmen by the continued transfer of Asiatic steam- 

 ship lines from the British to the German flag. Dr. 

 Bergholz has summarised all that has previously been 

 written on typhoons, so that the present work is the con- 

 centrated essence of our knowledge of these terrible 

 meteors. Every feature in the life-history of a typhoon 

 1 seems to be carefully dealt with— the origin of the dis- 

 i turbance, its progress, the circulation and the force of 

 I the wind, the behaviour of the barometer, the ther- 

 mometer, the sea, the clouds, and the rainfall. Several 

 I special instances are dealt with in detail, and a chapter 

 I is devoted to such anomalies as gales unaccompanied by 

 rain, rapid falls of the barometer without increase of 

 wind, strong winds with a slight decline of the barometer, 

 and so on ; all which go to prove that old Dampier was 

 right when he declared that the storms of the Temperate 

 Zones, the hurricanes of the West Indies, the cyclones of 

 the Indian Ocean, and the typhoons of the China 

 seas differ only in name. A selection of charts accom- 

 panies the work ; but while it is permissible to begin 

 the meteorological year with December, in exhibiting the 

 monthly variations of pressure and temperature, there is 

 no sufficient reason why October and November should 

 fall between May and June. The method adopted in 

 drawing the isobars will not meet with the approval of 

 meteorologists, areas of high pressure not being separated 

 in the natural way by areas of low pressure, and 7>ice 

 rrrjrt, but merely by a dividing line where contrary winds 

 must meet without any intervening calm space. H. 



Volumetric Analysis. By John B. Coppock. 92 pp. 



(London : Whittaker and Co., 1899.) 

 This fragment of science is intended as an appendage 

 to existing books on qualitative analysis so as to meet 

 the requirements of certain examinations in chemistry 

 held by the University of London and the Department 

 of Science and Art. But recent books on analysis which 

 have already come before our notice have met the con- 

 tingency to which Mr. Coppock refers. Moreover, this is 

 not the first little book with the same object in view. 

 Mr. Coppock covers familiar ground in a familiar way 

 and is, as far as we have seen, a trustworthy guide. 



