106 
NATURE 
[DECEMBER 3, 1903 
manage this grant and perform other incidental duties. 
At first this grant was devoted to the encouragement 
of woollen and linen manufactures, and of fisheries. 
Grants have also been made for scientific purposes; but 
latterly the money has been expended in the interests 
of archeology and art. In his evidence before the 
departmental committee, Sir Francis Mowat said that 
the treasury would gladly give 40,o0o0l. in lieu of the 
20001. a year. This offer, Sir John Murray thought, 
should be accepted at once; for it is this 2000l. a year 
(from which science now gets no aid), which has again 
and again stood in the way of Scotland getting on the 
estimates for any scientific purpose. Were this done, 
the 40,o000l., together with other funds which have 
accumulated from the 200ol, and are now in the posses- 
sion of the Board of Manufactures, could be used for 
building a national gallery and school of art. Although 
part of this sum should rightly be devoted to science, 
Sir John Murray was sure that all scientific men would 
willingly give up this right if they obtained the present 
Royal Institution building for their various societies. 
There is not the least doubt that such a scheme would 
economise scientific effort, encourage scientific research, 
and make possible that unity and solidarity of action 
which is all important whenever any general scientific | 
object is aimed at. CaG. K. 
SOME ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MINUTE 
IN NATURE. 
‘TT’ HIS book. is intended to bring a somewhat 
technical and special subject, but one of great 
beauty and interest, directly before the general reader. 
The author dissociates his subject from all scientific 
methods and processes, and even from the instruments 
by which the work is done, and is content to direct the 
reader of fair intelligence simply to results. These 
are on the whole fairly selected, and _ presented, 
pictorially and descriptively, with ability. It is not a 
Fic. 1.—The Central Portion of a Male Begonia Flower. 
“* Minute Marvels of Nature,” by J. J. Ward. 
From 
book for microscopical workers, however elementary, | 
for it is a mere selection of objects likely to awaken 
interest in minds unfamiliar with the minute in nature. 
As might be anticipated, it is only low and moderate 
magnifying power that is employed in these ‘ revela- 
1 ‘* Minute Marvels of Nature,” being some revelations of the microscope 
exhibited by photomicrographs taken by the auth r, John J. Ward. Pp. 
xxiv+272. (London: Isbister and Co., Ltd., 1903.) Price 7s. 6d. 
NO. 1779, VOL. 69 | 
| structure of plants. 
| of diatoms in their natural state. 
| no idea of what diatoms are, no enlightenment can 
tions,’’ but the photomicrographs are good, and give 
correct impressions of the objects to those who have 
never seen them, or are unfamiliar with the use of 
lenses in the study of nature. 
A great deal of space and labour is spent in dealing 
with the beginnings of plant life and the internal 
Fic 2—Pollen-grains falling from the Stamens of one of the Mallow Flowers 
(magnified). From ‘* Minute Marvels of Nature,” by J. J. Ward. 
The illustrations devoted to the 
former purpose are not always competent, as that on 
p- 16 shows, which was intended to give an illustration 
To a reader having 
be obtained from this photomicrograph. Many of the 
illustrations of diatoms are well done, and it is not 
at all probable that the reader will obtain from any 
other source photographs of the elaborate artificial 
arrangement of diatoms in geometric designs as they 
are given in this book. 
The photographs illustrating plant structure are 
admirable, and will undoubtedly appeal to the general 
reader, and at the same time do much to awaken his 
interest in the hidden things that the microscope so 
readily reveals. 
There is a good chapter, well illustrated, on pollen 
or flower dust, while some admirable illustrations and 
instructive writing are given the reader on the sub- 
ject of insects’ eggs. Some of these illustrations are 
of the first quality, but more care and detail would 
have greatly enhanced the usefulness of others of no 
little value in the efficient illustration of the subject. 
We may specialise Figs. 87 and 89, which were either 
inefficient photomicrographs or else processed so badly 
as to have made rejection a necessity. The figure 
giving the eggs of the small copper butterfly is 
excellent. 
