NA TURE 



[December 8, 1904 



nothing- of the professed) naturalist to identify such 

 specimens as might come under observation. All such 

 difficulties vanish with Mr. Millais's life-sized coloured 

 figures as a standard for comparison, the distinctive 

 features of each species being brought clearly before 

 the reader both in the text and in the plates. Much 

 important work has also been done with regard to the 

 local distribution of several of the species, notably as 

 to the occurrence of the lesser horseshoe bat and the 

 noctule in Wales. Whether Mr. Millais has been well 

 advised, at all events in a work of this nature, in 

 generically separating the noctule and Leisler's bat 

 from the pipistrelle may, however, be open to question. 

 Moreover, seeing that the author refuses to admit 

 " Myotis myoiis " into the British list, the propriety 

 of assigning a separate heading to this species may 

 perhaps likewise be doubtful. 



Among the Carnivora, the account of the wild cat 

 is of special interest, largely owing to the fact that 

 the author does not endorse the views of the late Dr. 

 Hamilton as to the practical extermination of this 

 species in the British Islands. Not that it is anywhere 

 common, even in the wilder parts of Scotland, where 

 in many districts it has long since been killed off. At 

 the present day, owing to a special cause, west Ross- 

 shire appears to be its main stronghold. As to the 

 extermination of the wolf and the bear from our 

 islands, the author has much to say — and all that he 

 says is worth reading. Very interesting, too, is his 

 account of two distinct types of the fox in Scotland, 

 namely, a dark and grey form in the mountains, and a 

 smaller red or pale form in the lowlands. Apparently, 

 however, he does not allude to the " greyhound fox " 

 of the Lake District, which Cumberland sportsmen 

 insist is entitled to be regarded as a distinct local race. 

 The most original and therefore the most valuable 

 part of the section on the Carnivora is that relating 

 to the British seals, of the characteristics and habits 

 of which Mr. Millais has made himself thoroughly 

 master as the result of personal observation in their 

 native haunts ; and no longer will naturalists find any 

 difficulty in distinguishing between the common and 

 the grey seal at all ages. Special interest attaches to 

 the recognition of four distinct colour-phases in the 

 adult male of the grey seal, although, since every inter- 

 mediate stage between these may occur, and they are 

 found together, they cannot be regarded as local races. 

 Even more interesting is the statement that the young 

 hooded seal is not, as commonly reported, white, but 

 of the same mottled colour as the adult. It is, how- 

 ever, to be wished that the author had given the full 

 reasons for this assertion. 



The author has expressed the hope that his work 

 may be found a fitting companion, as regards illustra- 

 tion, to Lord Lilford's volumes on British birds. So 

 far as he has gone at present, he may be congratulated 

 on having attained his ambition, and there is every 

 reason to expect that the second and third volumes 

 will be fully equal in this respect to the one before us. 

 For many years this splendid work will probably re- 

 main one of the standard authorities on British 

 mammals, and in the matter of illustration it will most 

 likely be always without a rival. R. L. 



NO. 1832. VOL 71] 



FIRE RISKS. I 



Fire and Explosion Risks. By Dr. von Schwartz. 

 Translated by C. T. C. Salter. Pp. xxi + 357. 

 (London: Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1904.) 

 Price 16s. net. 



IN estimating the risks of fire due to the storage 

 of goods of varying descriptions, the insurance 

 companies are met by the difficulty that the knowledge 

 necessary to gauge the comparative safety or other- 

 wise of the materials present is of so technical a nature 

 that but few possess it, and in many cases substances 

 of apparently the most innocuous character become 

 active sources of danger under conditions likely to 

 escape the notice of any but those who have made a 

 special study of the subject. As a result risks are 

 often taken at far too low a premium, whilst the dis- 

 trust born of the loss incurred afterwards leads to ex- 

 cessive charges in utterly wrong directions, very few in- 

 surance offices being fortunate enough to possess in- 

 spectors or assessors with the necessary knowledge 

 to safely guide them in the adjustment of their scale 

 of fees. 



In Germany several works by such authorities as 

 Dr. Richter, Prof. Hapke, and Dr. von Schwartz lend 

 valuable aid to the scientific side of the question, but 

 in England, with the exception of some valuable little 

 works compiled by Mr. W. A. Harris, the able secre- 

 tary to the Phoenix Fire Office in Liverpool, the 

 literature of the subject has been entirely neglected, 

 although the fact that on an average 10,000,000/. is 

 annually paid by British fire insurance companies on 

 fire claims alone, whilst the loss probably is nearly 

 double this amount, suggests that the subject is well 

 worth the deepest consideration. 



Under these conditions it is a matter for congratu- 

 lation that Mr. C. T. C. Salter has now given us an 

 excellent translation of Dr. von Schwartz's valuable 

 book on " Fire and Explosion Risks," a handbook 

 which deals in a thoroughly practical way with the 

 investigation, detection, and prevention of dangers 

 arising in the manufacture and storage of the most 

 widely used chemico-technical substances. 



The author has had a very wide experience as a 

 consulting chemist and factory inspector, and has 

 brought his almost unique experience in manufacturing 

 methods to bear upon the various risks which they 

 entail, with the result that he has produced a work 

 in which practice is so blended with theory as to make 

 the book of the utmost value, not only to chemists, but 

 also to those who, without much chemical knowledge, 

 )fet wish to master the mysteries of a very intricate 

 branch of technical application. 



In dealing with the various substances the raw- 

 material is fully described in each case, its origin,, 

 physical character, and behaviour under all conditions 

 is freely discussed, whilst cautions and suggestions 

 for the safe manipulation and storage of each are 

 clearly stated. 



The arrangement by sections of those bodies likely 

 to react on each otlier is particularly useful, and the 

 works chemist and insurance surveyor can find the 

 information he seeks in relation to the particular class 

 of goods with the minimum of trouble. 



