December 21, 1905] 



NA TURE 



177 



subsidiary maximum in April so neatly reproduced in 

 the St. Helena wind has disappeared, owing princi- 

 pally, be it said, to an abnormally dry April in 1893. 



Yet the evidence in favour of a connection can 

 hardly be pure coincidence. The little rain maximum j 

 in April is not mere illusion. The fact that a seasonal 

 variation of rainfall does show itself in the average I 

 of a few years has a meaning, and that its phases i 

 ara closely similar to those of the arterial pulsations 

 of the general atmospheric circulation accords too 

 much with what may be called common sense to 

 be altogether devoid of significance. 



Sooner or later we shall catch the nimble imp that 

 jeers at us to-day, and, if I mistake not, when he is 

 caughl we shall make him tell us something of the 

 real secrets of these atmospheric relationship-.. 



There are two considerations that may be 

 mentioned. A disproportionately large fall of rain is 

 sometimes regarded as an accident of little or no 

 influence upon general meteorological conditions, but 

 in view of the enormous quantities of energy involved 

 that view can hardly be seriously maintained. It is 

 true that on some days we get 

 thunderstorms with heavy rain dis- 

 tributed in a most irregular manner, 

 and for these at present no satis- 

 factory explanation can be given, 

 but it should be looked for seriously. 

 Secondly, the rainy movements of 

 the atmosphere in this part of the 

 world are, as already mentioned, a 

 south to north movement and a 

 west to east movement. Perhaps 

 we may in time be able to disen- 

 tangle the effects of the various 

 causes and find the regular 

 sequence at present overlaid by the 

 influence of secondary disturbing 

 causes. 



I have ventured to put forward 

 these suggestions, which I frankly 

 confess are deplorably bizarre, be- 

 cause my readers may have at their 

 disposal methods, that I am 

 ignorant of, by which a crucial test 

 may be applied to the question 

 whether there is anv definite and, 

 shall I say, useful connection 

 between the pulsations of the south- 

 east trade wind and the rainfall 

 Europe. 



ing we have, however, ventured to include them. 

 In each instance the author takes a number of more 

 or less well-known animals, and recounts their 

 ordinary everyday life, so far as it can be interpreted, 

 .Mr. English giving this for the most part in what 

 are supposed to be the creature's own words, while 

 the American author mingles verbal with descriptive 

 narrative. Both works are, no doubt, excellent in 

 their own particular way; and, for the sake of authors 

 and publishers alike, we trust that a sufficient number 

 of readers exist to whom this style of writing appeals 

 with infinitely greater force than it does to ourselves. 

 To such we may commend each of the two works, 

 for, in the respective subjects, we find little to choose 

 between them. 



Mr. English, very appropriately, confines himself 

 to British animals (including mammals, birds, fishes, 

 insects, &c); and although we cannot congratulate 

 him on the title he has selected for his volume, we 

 are pleased to be able to record our high appreciation 

 of his skill as a photographer, and of the excellent 

 manner in which his pictures have been reproduced. 



of north-western 

 W. N. Shaw. 



TWO BOOKS, ON ANIMAL BIOGRAPHY.' 

 T N the second of these two works the author ex- 

 - 1 presses the opinion that the first question which 

 will be asked by the reader is whether the various 

 anecdotes are strictly true. The question that 

 presents itself to our mind is whether such books 

 will be read at all, and if so by whom? The pro- 

 fessional naturalist, we dare venture to say, will 

 have nothing to do with them ; they are not apparently 

 intended for children, and for our own part we con- 

 fess that to read them for either pleasure or instruc- 

 tion is about the last thing we should think of doing'. 

 Tiny are what may be called "animal novels," and 

 thereby differ to a considerable extent from the old- 

 fashioned " animal biographies," under which head- 



I [easties Courage> 

 D. English. Pp. viii+i 

 1905.) Price s.t. net. 



" Northern Trail-, ; some Studies of Animal Life in the Fa 

 W. J. Lone Pp. x.w + 390 ; illustrated. (Boston, U.S.A., 

 Ginn and Co.). Price 7s. td. 



no. 1886, vol. ■]$] 



Courageous.' 



The photograph of the wood-mouse herewith pre- 

 sented to our readers is absolutely exquisite, and 

 cannot be surpassed. Moreover, it is by no means a 

 solitary example of excellence, every picture in the 

 book being of high quality, although some are, of 

 course, better than others. As a picture-book of 

 various types of British animal life the book would 

 b". hard indeed to beat. 



Mr. Long, on the other hand, takes for his subject 

 some of the more striking animals of tin:' Arctic 

 districts of North America, which he calls for the 

 most part by their native Indian names, after the 

 manner of " Hiawatha." 



The first six chapters are, for instance, devoted 

 to the white wolf, under the title of " wayeeses, the 

 strong one"; but it is a little remarkable to note 

 that in the glossary at the end of the volume this 

 name is spelt " wayeesis." Other chapters follow on 

 the wild goose (" waptouk "), the fisher-marten 

 (" pequam "), the salmon, &c. All bear the impress 

 of truth, and relate the experiences of one who has 

 seen the animals in their native wilds. The most strik- 

 ing incident is perhaps the one depicted on the cover 

 of the book, where the author had the good fortune 



