DECEMBER 31, 1896] 
NATURE 
As a material for varnish making, amber was a re- 
cognised commercial article in the sixteenth century. 
Whether it was the basis of the varnish used by the old 
violin makers has long been a disputed question, which 
can never be satisfactorily settled. It is not improbable 
that the peculiar electric qualities possessed by amber 
may have exercised some influence in producing the 
marvellous tones of the violins of the old masters ; and 
the extremely dangerous and difficult task of melting 
amber in either fixed or volatile oils, en account of its 
liability to fire under heat, would preclude any attempt 
at its manufacture except in the laboratory and under 
personal superintendence, so that the secret of its 
preparation died with each master. 
On the other hand, the danger and difficulty attending 
the melting of the substance has been advanced as a 
reason against the probability of its use. As a modern 
varnish material, amber is now scarcely in demand. 
With regard to English amber, though specimens are 
not unfrequently found on the Norfolk, Suffolk, and 
Essex coasts, as stated by Dr. Conwentz, there has been 
some doubt as to the genuine character of some of the 
pieces, which appear to have been copal or anime rather 
than true amber. The similarity in the formation of the 
two resins is borne out by an illustration of concentric 
structure given by Dr. Conwentz in his valuable paper 
before alluded to, with a specimen of Demerara copal 
from the locust tree (Hymenwa Courbaril) in the Kew 
Museum. JOHN R. JACKSON. 
THE RED DEER. 
Fur and Feather Series: Red Deer. Natural History, 
by Rev. H. A. Macpherson ; S¢a/king, by Cameron 
of Lochiel; Hunting, by Viscount Ebrington; Cookery, 
by A. I. Shand. Pp. viii+ 320. 12mo, illustrated: 
(London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1896.) 
LL contributions to the natural history of the finest 
of our British mammals cannot fail to be interest- 
ing to all with a zoological turn of mind ; while accounts 
of the stalking and chase of the same noble animal will 
command attention from a still wider circle of readers. 
Whether the three chapters which Mr. Macpherson con- 
tributes to the little work before us form an adequate 
account of the natural history of Cervus elaphus, may be 
a moot point, but to our mind they are too “ parochial.” 
There is, for instance, nothing said as to the distribution 
of the red deer, or its relations to other members of the 
same genus; and the chief attention is directed to its 
breeding-habits. The author of these chapters appears 
to derive most of his knowledge of the animal from the 
Lake District ; and the first chapter is nothing more than 
a description and history of the fells of Westmoreland, 
with some casual observations on red deer thrown in. 
It is written in a pleasant and gossipy style, but as its 
purport has already appeared in the pages of “ Lake- 
land,” its reproduction here seems superfluous. The 
third chapter in the natural history section is entitled 
“Echoes of the Chase,” and would more appropriately 
have come in Lord Ebrington’s section. 
Indeed, the work decidedly suffers from insufficient 
editing. For instance, most of Lord Ebrington’s very 
interesting remarks on antlers, in the chapter entitled 
NO. 1418, VOL. 55] 
“Deer,” should clearly find a place in the natural history 
portion. Again, after Mr. Macpherson had written, on 
page 34, that “ Deer, by the way, are very fond of nibbling 
the remains of shed antlers,” the editor ought not to 
have permitted the following sentence, by Lord Ebring- 
ton, to appear on page 278. 
“T have never heard any explanation that accounted 
for this [the rarity of the discovery of the bodies of dead 
deer] satisfactorily, for the hinds would not eat carrion, 
though there seems little doubt that they will eat both 
bones and shed horns.” 
Either the matter is, or is not, a certainty, and one 
allusion would suffice. 
So far as we are capable of judging, the chapters on 
stalking and hunting form admirable and _ interesting 
accounts of these sports. In addition to the remarks on 
antlers already mentioned, Lord Ebrington gives us 
many interesting observations which might well find a 
place in works on natural history. In reference to the 
“gait” and “slot,” he writes that— 
“A stag’s dew-claws point outward, and are large in 
proportion to his own size, while a hind’s are small, turn 
inward, and point straight down. A stag crosses his 
legs right and left in walking, while with a hind the 
prints of the hind foot will be in a direct line with those 
of the fore foot, unless she is heavy in calf. ... The 
extra weight on the legs is no doubt the reason, and at 
calving time the stags are defenceless too, having shed 
their horns. The stag moves with more confidence than 
the hind, so his paces are regular. The hind moves 
femininely and distrustfully ; sometimes she will put her 
hind feet down in front of the spot from where she has 
just lifted her fore ones, sometimes on the same spot, 
sometimes behind it.” 
Unless we are greatly mistaken, there are few pro- 
fessed naturalists who could have given such details ; 
and yet they are surely of much more interest than the 
endless multiplication of species. 
The illustrations are charming works of art, and the 
volume must claim a place in the library of every sports- 
man, if not of the naturalist also. Ree 
OUR BOOK SHELF. 
The Tutorial Chemistry. Part 1. Non-Metals. 
G. H. Bailey, D.Sc., Ph.D. Pp. viii + 226. 
W. B. Clive, 1896.) 
Elementary Non-Metallic Chemistry. By S.R. Trotman, 
M.A. Pp. vill + 183. (London: Rivington, Percival, 
and Co., 1896.) 
Ir the publication of text-books is a sign of increased 
attention to the branches of science with which they deal, 
chemistry must be making great progress ; for no week, 
and scarcely a day, passes without the receipt of a 
manual for chemical students. The two volumes now 
before us are fair representatives of a class of text-books 
designed to furnish boys with the facts which examiners 
periodically endeavour to entice from them. 
Dr. Bailey’s book furnishes a systematic outline of 
chemistry, so far as it relates to the non-metals. Acting 
upon the conviction that a knowledge of physical prin- 
ciples and measures should be gained from an elementary 
text-book of physics, Dr. Bailey has omitted the pre- 
liminary chapters usually devoted to these matters, not- 
withstanding the growth of opinion that experiments and 
measurements of physical properties of matter form the 
best basis for a chemical education. He does not, how- 
ever, ignore the physics of chemistry altogether, for a 
chapter is devoted to the physical properties’ of gases. 
By 
(London : 
