328 Bibliographical Notices. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Tlie Study of Animal Life. By J. Arthur Thomson, M.A. &c., 

 Lecturer on Zoology, School of Medicine, Edinburgh. London : 

 John Murray, 1892. 



This little volume of some 370 pages forms one of the University 

 Extension Manuals edited by Prof. Knight, who states in a preface 

 that the series is intended " to supply the need so widely felt by 

 students, of text-books for studj^ and reference, in connexion with 

 the authorized courses of lectures. The Manuals differ from those 

 already in existence in that they are not intended for school use or 

 for examination purposes ; and that their aim is to educate, rather 

 than to inform." Admitting that there is a need for such a series 

 of volumes — and the objects as set forth in the editorial preface are 

 certainly very laudable— let us consider how far Mr. Thomson's 

 work fulfils the requirements of the case. 



The book is divided into four parts and twenty chapters. Its 

 scope will be to some extent realized from the headings of the 

 parts, which are (I.) The Everydav Life of Animals; (II.) The 

 Powers of Life ; (III.) The Eorms Jf Animal Life ; and (IV.) The 

 Evolution of Animal Life. There are in addition two appendices 

 entitled respectively " Animal Life and Ours " and " Some of the 

 Best Books on Animal Life." These headings give but a very 

 imperfect notion of the contents of the volume, which attempts to 

 cover the whole ground of animal biology. The scope in fact is so 

 wiue that the treatment is and could not be otherwise than sketchy. 

 The reader who peruses the pages with the object of assigning to 

 the work its correct place in biological literature will experience the 

 same difficulty that we have met in deciding whether the author is 

 aiming at popularity or whether he is endeavouring to supply an 

 elemeutarj' text-book with all the technicalities of the science cut 

 out. Whatever his aim, the result on the whole is, it must be con- 

 fessed, somewhat disappointing. The book is not jiopular enough 

 in our opinion to convert a would-be student into a biologist, while 

 it is too sketchy to be of much real use to an earnest reader. It is 

 unfortunately one of those productions which are calculated to spread 

 broadcast throughout educated classes the glib patter of the scien- 

 tific workshop which superficially passis for real knowledge. This 

 is no doubt very far from the author's intention ; but the effect 

 cannot be otherwise when in the course of one small volume the 

 reader is conducted over the whole range of subjects referred to in 

 the contents, that is, the entire field of animal biology, including 

 morphology, embryology, physiology, psychology, sociology, &.c. 



The defects which have been pointed out are to a very great 

 extent, or perhaps entirely, due to the system for which Mr. Thomson 

 has undertaken to cater. Making allowances for the work from this 

 point of view it must be admitted that there are certain sections here 

 and there which indicate considerable originality, and which show 



