November 13, 1902] 



NA TURE 



furnish a faithful review of the most important research 

 work accomplished during the year can only be justified 

 on that condition. H. M. D. 



Observations GSologiques sur les lies Volcaniques ex- 

 plores par r Expedition du " Beagle" et A'otes sur 

 la Geologie de IA ustralie et du Cap de Bonne Esperance. 

 Par Charles Darwin. Traduit de l'Anglais sur la 

 Troisieme Edition par A. F. Renard, Professor a 

 l'Universite de Gand. Pp. xxii + 218 ; 14 figures, one 

 plate. (Paris : Schleicher Freres, 1902.) 



This volume is the first part of a French translation by 

 Prof. Renard of the geological portion of the " Journal of a 

 Naturalist," which book, as he remarks in his preface, 

 preceded the " Origin of Species " by fifteen years and 

 shows how surely Darwin had laid in his own mind the 

 foundations for the development of that classic work. 

 We should, indeed, have said that the geological observ- 

 ations proved at what a cost to this science the new birth 

 of biology was obtained did we not remember that the 

 idea of evolution has not only reanimated palaeontology, 

 but also has led to a new way of regarding even the 

 inorganic world. Time has not deprived of their value 

 those sections of " Geological Observations" which deal 

 with St. Paul's Rocks, with the fluxional and spherulitic 

 structures in the obsidians of Ascension Island, and 

 with other volcanic islands and the order of eruptive 

 rocks. They, indeed the whole work, can still teach 

 geologists, and not only those who are beginners, the 

 right methods in both observation in the field and the in- 

 ductive treatment of facts ; in a word, how to grapple with 

 new problems. Prof. Renard's intimate knowledge, not 

 only of geology, but also of the English language, so fits 

 him for the work of translation that it is almost needless 

 to say this has been admirably done, and he has added 

 to the value of the volume by including in it the introduc- 

 tory essay which was contributed by Prof. Judd to the 

 volume of the Minerva Library of Famous Books contain- 

 ing Darwin's geological works. 



Galvanic Batteries : their Theory, Construction and 

 Use. By S. R. Bottone. Pp. xvi 4- 376. (London : 

 Whittaker and Co., 1902.) Price $s. 



Although the subtitle of this book indicates a com- 

 prehensive aim, it is only the construction of primary 

 batteries that receives at all full treatment. In this 

 respect the work is pretty thorough, since the author de- 

 scribes more than 200 different types of cell. The descrip- 

 tions are short, but are supplemented in many instances 

 by drawings, and should be sufficient to give any reader 

 a clear idea of the essential features of the cell. Data as 

 to the E.M.F., internal resistance and discharge are also 

 given for a fair number of typical batteries. As a handy 

 reference book to which one can turn for information of 

 this sort, this volume should prove very useful, especially, 

 perhaps, to the amateur or to the inventor who is 

 anxious to see if amongst these 200 odd cells there is 

 room for yet one more. From a scientific point of view, 

 the work is disappointing ; the tabulation of the different 

 cells is not carried out upon any definite system of 

 classification, so far as we can see, and the theoretical 

 discussion in the first seventy pages is inadequate and 

 unsatisfactory. It is hardly adequate, for example, only 

 to describe the Grotthuss theory (as modified by Clausius) 

 and to speak of this as the " accepted theory of to-day," 

 Again, the fundamental conceptions do not appear to 

 have been clearly grasped by the author, who seems to 

 think that energy and force are the same, and that 

 electricity is a form of energy and may be defined as " a 

 mode of motion in the atoms of bodies." We should not 

 comment upon these errors in a work which is more par- 

 ticularly of a practical character did not the author claim 

 in his preface that " the theory of the battery has been 



NO. 1724, VOL. 67] 



carefully gone into." Should another edition be called 

 for, we think Mr. Bottone would be well advised to omit 

 the theoretical part altogether and confine himself to the 

 careful tabulation of the cells ; the information contained 

 in the descriptive part must have needed considerable 

 pains to collect and can hardly fail to prove useful. 



The illustrations are, for the most part, clear ; there 

 are one or two minor errors, such, for example, as the 

 misspelling of the names of Sir W. Thomson, Latimer 

 Clark and Grotthuss, which we should like to see 

 corrected. M. S. 



The Elements of Agricultural Geology : a Scientific Aid 

 to Practical Farming. By Primrose McConnell, B.Sc. 

 Pp. x + 329. (London : Crosby Lockwood and Son, 

 1902.) Price 2 1 j. net. 



Mr. Primrose McConnell is well known as a shrewd 

 writer on practical farming and as one who has done a 

 good deal to bring the facts of science within the reach 

 of the farming community. The present work is on the 

 fascinating subject of agricultural geology. It has evi- 

 dently been written con ainore, and we are told in the 

 preface has occupied the author for many years. He 

 treats first of the origin of soils, then follows a chapter on 

 mineralogy, another on physiography and one on water 

 supply. We then come to the most important section of 

 the book, entitled " Formations and Farming," occupy- 

 ing about no pages. The volume closes with a section 

 dealing with the evolution of the present breeds of horses, 

 cattle, sheep and pigs. 



The most valuable section, and the one containing most 

 original matter, is that relating to formations and farm- 

 ing. We should much like to see this section greatly 

 expanded and its very various subjects treated in full 

 detail, and the whole accompanied by a good geo- 

 logical map of the United Kingdom, which the present 

 volume, notwithstanding its high price, fails to supply. 

 Such a work would be of standard value. Much of the 

 rest of the volume has apparently been compiled from 

 well-known text-books, references to which are freely 

 given. 



To the value of the central section we have already 

 referred, but of the book generally we cannot speak so 

 highly. The book has been loosely written, without 

 much attention to scientific exactness, and hasty state- 

 ments are from time to time made which require at least 

 serious qualification. 



The author views the soil as in every case the chief 

 determining factor of agricultural results, whether re- 

 lating to crops or animals, and a result is said to follow 

 because the soil is Red Sandstone or Mountain Limestone. 

 The considerable influence of varying climate in a 

 country such as our own is seldom taken into account. 



A Teacher's Manual of Geography to accompany Tarr 

 and McMurrfs Scries of Geographies. By Charles 

 McMurry, Ph.D. Pp. 107. (New York : The Mac- 

 millan Company, 1902.) Price 2s. 6d. 



To teach successfully it is not only necessary for a 

 teacher to have a good knowledge of his subject, but he 

 should also know how best to present its parts to his 

 class, and be familiar, in the case of subjects like 

 geography, with the use to which the common objects of 

 the neighbourhood of the school can be put in rendering 

 lessons clear and interesting. This little book abounds 

 in helpful hints to teachers of geography ; it explains how 

 the best results are to be obtained from school excur- 

 sions, and it should convince the reader that geography 

 is something more than topography, and should be made 

 a means of arousing interest in such subjects as the 

 formation of soils, the cause of scenery, and other changes 

 which are too often ignored in school courses of 

 geography. 



