=526 



NA TURK 



[April 9 , 1885 



bilities of a scientific ally, and we have pleasure in testi- 

 fying that he does his work well, and that he does not 

 overdo it. 



THE MYRIOPODS OF AUSTRIA 



Die Myriopoden der Oesterreichisch-Ungarnischen Mon- 

 archic. 2 tc Halfte, " Die Symphvlen, Pauropoden, und 

 Diplopoden." Von Dr. R. Latzel. (Vienna : Holder, 

 18S4.) 



WHEN we say that the second volume of Dr. Latzel's 

 work is in every way equal to the first we are 

 according to it high praise. The first volume, that which 

 dealt with the Chilopoda, has fully proved itself to be 

 indispensable to every student of the Myriopodaj and it 

 seems to us certain that this second volume, dealing with 

 the other orders, must soon be accorded an even more 

 important place in the literature of this subject. Nine 

 years of close attention to the study of the myriopods 

 have enabled Dr. Latzel not merely to complete a mono- 

 graph of the species inhabiting his native country, but to 

 complete it in such a manner that he has written a book 

 which must be useful to the student of the myriopoda of 

 any country. Not only has Dr. Latzel given minute 

 descriptions of some 170 species, but he has also furnished 

 tables which make it a matter of ease to determine the 

 genus of any myriopod. 



There has been unfortunately among those who have 

 specially devoted attention to myriopods a tendency to 

 create numerous new species on very insufficient grounds. 

 By relying solely on characters of importance, Dr. Latzel 

 has in great measure escaped this tendency. It is true 

 that in the volume now under notice he has described a new 

 genus and thirty-five new species. Possibly further obser- 

 vation may reduce this number ; but when we remember 

 the extent of area embraced by the Austro-Hungarian 

 Empire, and the little attention which, comparatively 

 speaking, has been paid by naturalists to myriopods any- 

 where, we must admit that thirty-five is no excessive 

 number of new species ; indeed, those who are familiar 

 with the writings of others who have described myriopods 

 must feel thankful that it is so small. A careful synonymy 

 has been given of each species described ; this is one of 

 the most useful features of the book, as in this part of his 

 work Dr. Latzel seems to us to have been singularly suc- 

 cessful. It can have been no easy task to reduce to order 

 the bulky mass of existing nomenclature ; but Dr. Latzel 

 has spared no pains in examining and comparing the 

 types, generally insufficiently described, of his prede- 

 cessors. It is much to be wished that some capable 

 observer would take in hand to examine the types of the 

 earlier English describers of myriopods, especially with 

 regard to the Chilopoda described by Newport, and com- 

 pare them with the types of Continental writers, for, so we 

 fancy, the synonymy would be yet further reduced to 

 order. Here we may refer to the only point in nomen- 

 clature which we regret in Dr. Latzel's book. He has 

 adopted the specific name venttstus, Meinert 186S, for an 

 animal which Dr. Latzel evidently suspects to be, and 

 which we have no doubt is, the same as that described by 

 Leach in 18 14 ssjulus pulchellus. 



One admirable feature of this work is that, where poss- 

 ible, full descriptions are given of the young stages of 



each species. As to the details of the work there is not 

 much room for criticism. Dr. Latzel has embodied in 

 his work the results of all recent researches into the 

 minute anatomy of the myriopods. Embryology, indeed, 

 has not received a very large share of attention, but refer- 

 ences are given to all writings on the subject. Dr. Latzel 

 differs from some American authorities in looking on 

 Scolopendrella as a true myriopod, and places its order 

 Symphyla as intermediate between the Chilopoda and 

 the Pauropoda. We may here note that Dr. Latzel agrees 

 with Menge in considering those organs which Ryder has 

 described as trachea; in Scolopendrella, as being merely 

 chitinous supports for muscle-attachment. These are the 

 same organs which Wood-Mason (Ann. A'at. Hist. [5] xii. 

 53) considers are of the nature of segmental organs. 



A short notice of fossil myriopods is given, based chiefly 

 on Scudder's researches into the fossil species of America. 

 Scudder's conclusion seems to us to be in many points 

 erroneous, and at any rate to be premature and based on 

 insufficient knowledge, but as no fossil myriopods have 

 yet been found in Austro-Hungary we can only be thank- 

 ful to Dr. Latzel for dealing with fossil forms at all. The 

 same must be said with regard to the notice of the order 

 Malacopoda. No species of Peripatus has yet been dis- 

 covered in Europe, but, though we may not agree with him, 

 it is interesting to know that one so qualified to judge as 

 Dr. Latzel, looks on Peripatus as forming an order equi- 

 valent to the other orders, the Chilopoda, the Symphyla, 

 and the Diplopoda. A most useful bibliography, brought 

 down to the date of publication, is comprised in the work. 

 The execution of the sixteen plates, showing morpho- 

 logical details, is excellent in every way. 



OUR BOOK SHELF 



Examples in Heat and Electricity. By H. H. Turner. 

 (London : Macmillan and Co.) 



This is a Cambridge collection of problems and riders 

 extracted mainly from the Smith's Prize, Tripos, and 

 College papers of the last dozen years. The compiling 

 (for there is nothing to be called authorship) has been, 

 on the whole, judiciously done ; and the printing is un- 

 usually clear and accurate, considering the complexity of 

 many of the formulas. The book is designed primarily 

 as a help to candidates for mathematical honours, and 

 will undoubtedly prove useful to them ; possibly, perhaps, 

 to a few private students. 



But to the natural philosopher the book presents some 

 points of curious interest. For, in these seventy pages 

 alone, may be found (by all who know the subjects) 

 materials for a very complete examination of one im- 

 portant part of the Cambridge system, alike in its present 

 condition and during its recent development. Here and 

 there we detect at a glance the lion-claw of the true physi- 

 cist, and can, unhesitatingly, write against a question the 

 name of Stokes, Thomson, Clerk-Maxwell, &c, so strongly 

 marked is the individuality of these men : — who think in 

 physics, thus propounding nothing unphysical ; and who 

 use mathematics as a necessary instrument of expression, 

 neither courting nor shunning mere technical difficulties. 

 Each of their questions stands out like a green oasis in a 

 sandy desert ! The rest of the contents (except what is 

 but thinly-veiled "book-work") is mainly the work of 

 Examining Mathematicians — the men who use physical 

 facts (or fancies) as mere pegs on which to hang com- 

 plex catenaries of formula; ; to whom pi = Rv would 

 come quite as naturally and as usefully as the laws of Boyle 

 and Charles ; the men who can explain the result when 



