fur, 1974 | 
NATURE 
fo 
OUR BOOKSHELF. 
A Junior Geography of the World. By B. C. 
Wallis. Pp. x+310+maps. (London: Mac- 
millamgand Go.,, Ltd, 19619.) ieice.2s. 6d. 
Turis book possesses many merits; its language is 
always clear, its accuracy, so far as can be judged, 
unimpeachable. It is arranged on the plan of a 
long introductory section dealing with the prin- 
ciples of geography, followed by a treatment of 
the continents in detail, in which the order fol- 
lowed is the unusual (and not obviously advan- 
tageous) one of Australia, Africa, the Americas, 
Asia, Europe. A final separate section deals with 
the British Isles. The volume is entitled a junior 
geography, but, to juniors, parts of it (such 
as that on map-making, or some of the sec- 
tions which deal with the quantitative analysis 
of products) may be found difficult; while, ex- 
cellent as the geographical principle of regional 
comparison is, it is open to question whether it 
should be followed from the very beginning. In 
this department, the text possibly tends to be over- 
weighted with examples. Each section contains a 
number of questions, in many cases based upon 
examination questions selected with great care 
from a wide range of papers. 
The illustrations, whether maps, diagrams, or 
pictures, are clear and good, but we cannot 
conceive that the extremely small type employed 
is justifiable on any standard. The index is 
remarkable. It is stated to be “intentionally 
short”; in point of fact, it contains about 
sixty references under eight headings, and the 
student is charged to make a full index for him- 
self on the lines indicated. Is modern educational 
practice to demand of the student that he should 
index all his text-books ? 
Hereditary Genius: An Inquiry into its Laws and 
Consequences. By F. Galton. New edition. 
Pp. xxix+379. (London: Macmillan and Co., 
Etdwaors.)  Price-5s. net, 
“HEREDITARY GENIUS ”’ was first published in 1869 
and comes second in the series of works in which 
Galton’s investigations on inheritance were given 
to the public, being preceded in 1865 by the papers 
in “Hereditary Talent and Character” which 
appeared in Macmillan’s. Magazine. A second 
edition appeared in 1892 from which the present 
issue has been reprinted. That after forty-five 
years there should still be a demand for this book 
is no source of wonder. It is the work of a 
master and for that reason one shrinks from 
praising it. But coming back to it after an in- 
terval one is struck again by its freshness, its 
readableness, and the wealth of apt comparison 
with which it is illustrated. Of the social signifi- 
cance of the subject it is also needless to speak. 
As Galton shows it bears on most things of interest 
to the human race from the doctrine of original 
sin to the vigorous growth of new colonies, and 
it led him in the last chapter to express views-on 
individuality and the place of the individual in the 
living universe, which seem to be echoed in much 
modern sociological teaching on the subject. 
NO. 2331, VOL. 93| 
The publishers have earned our gratitude in 
again making this book available, but it is to be 
regretted that economy in the matter of margin 
has given the printed pages a rather unattraciive 
appearance. 
The Engineering Index Annual for 1913. Pp. 
508. (New York: The Engineering Magazine 
Co., 1914.) Price 2.00 dollars. 
Tuts volume of the Engineering Index is the 
twelfth since the work first appeared and is the 
eighth since the appearance of annual issues. It 
comprises the monthly instalments published in 
1913 in the Engineering Magazine and covers the 
field of serial literature in engineering up to 
October, 1913. The purpose of the volume is to 
aid the searcher for information on any specific 
subject connected with engineering to obtain 
quickly the names and dates of issue of periodicals, 
etc., containing articles dealing with the subject. 
The matter is classified under the main headings 
of civil engineering, electrical engineering, in- 
dustrial economy, marine and naval engineering, 
mechanical engineering, mining and metallurgy, 
railway engineering, and street and electric rail- 
ways. These again are subdivided into sections, 
thus facilitating the process of obtaining all pub- 
lished information on any given subject. Each 
reference gives, in addition to the name and date 
of the periodical, a brief summary of the contents 
of the article or paper, sufficient in most cases to 
enable the searcher to decide whether it is worth 
while to pursue his inquiries further. Owing to 
the great mass of engineering matter published 
annually throughout the world, the need for such 
a volume is evident, and the’ present work can be 
recommended as a successful attempt to give a 
concise and complete index of last year’s publi- 
cations. 
Routledge’s New Dictionary of the English Lan- 
Pp. Vili. 
guage. Edited by C. Weatherby. 
1039. (London: George Routledge and Sons, 
Lidywreu4qs\briceegs,ad- 
Tus attractively produced dictionary claims to 
include all the principal new scientific, technical, 
industrial, sporting, colloquial, slang, and other 
words, both English and American, as well as 
pronunciations and etymologies. _Prolonged use 
alone enables one to pronounce judgment on a 
dictionary; but it may be said that this has an- 
swered successfully numerous test appeals made 
to it. 
A Literary Introduction to 
By Jol Robertson. Pp. 
The University Press, 1914.) 
Nature in Books. 
Natural Science. 
156. «(Oxtord:: 
Price,2s: 
THE primary object of this little book is to kindle 
in young readers an interest in, and love for, 
Nature and her works. The author’s idea is to 
lead pupils from the descriptions of Nature by 
our great writers to the world of wonder itself. 
We echo his hope that the book will take many 
of its readers to “the open,” and that there they 
may become open-eyed and intelligent first-hand 
observers. 
