388 
treatment, too, the authors differ. Wurtz, with more 
personal touches and controversial points, traces the 
main ideas of chemical combination from the time of 
Lavoisier continuously to his own ; Prof. Tilden, adopt- 
ing the more natural lecture method, has given us 
separate histories of the main lines of chemical progress 
during the Victorian era. We cannot doubt but that the 
student will find the modern book handier to consult, 
and sounder, though possibly less stimulating, than its 
predecessor. 
The difficult task of selection has been, on the whole, 
successfully met by Prof. Tilden. We can heartily com- 
mend for its lucid treatment the chapter on stereo- 
chemistry, and ‘the classification of the elements” for 
its historical completeness and common sense. 
The few slips we have observed are mainly printer’s 
errors, e.g. the date of the “Sceptical Chymist” is given 
as 1680 (p. 38). In the account of Dumas’ experiments 
on the composition of water, we are told that the reten- 
tion of hydrogen by the reduced copper was unsuspected 
in Dumas’ time (p. 80) ; but Dumas himself refers to this 
error in his original paper. Prof. Tilden repeats the 
usual derivation of gas, ‘‘ Gas=geist=spirit.” But since 
the publication of “Gas” in Dr. Murray’s Dictionary 
we thought the derivation from chaos had been accepted. 
Perhaps we may quote the full passage from Van Hel- 
mont, which occurs in the ‘“'Progymnasma Meteori” 
(p. 69, ed. 1682): ““Verum® quia aqua in vaporem, per 
frigus delata, alterius sortis, quam vapor per calorem 
suscitatus ; ideo paradoxi licentia, in nominis egestate, 
halitum illum gas vocayi non longe a Chao veterum | 
secretum.” 
La Géologie Expérimentale. Par Stanilas Meunier, 
Professeur de Géologie au Muséum histoire naturelle 
de Paris. Avec 56 figures dans le texte. Pp. 306. 
(Paris: Félix Alcan, 1899.) 
IN this work, which has just been added to the “ Bib- 
liotheque Scientifique Internationale,” Prof. Meunier 
has aimed at supplying a complete and _ practical 
series of experimental illustrations of as many dif- 
ferent geological phenomena as_ possible — in this 
respect going even farther than did the late M. Daubrée 
in, his - classical‘ Etudes Synthétiques de Géologie 
Expérimentale.” The work is founded on a course of 
lectures given in Natural History Museum of Paris in 
1898 ; and in the Geological Gallery of the Museum in 
the Jardin des Plantes may be seen the actual apparatus, 
designed by. the author and others, for carrying on the 
experiments described in these pages. 
After a general introduction on the value and limits 
of. the experimental method as applied to geological 
teaching and research, in which the author replies very 
effectively to the ‘objections which have been raised to 
it, he proceeds to treat systematically with the questions 
involved in, supplying experimental illustrations of geo- 
logical phenomena. He first deals with the results pro- 
duced by the action of external forces operating on the 
eaith’s crust. These are classed as the phenomena of 
denudation and of sedimentation. Under the first head 
are classed the action of rain, of rivers, of the sea and 
lakes, of ice, of subterranean waters and of the wind. 
It is noticeable that the experiments, many of which 
are of a novel character, are for the most part such 
as can be performed with very simple apparatus, 
of a kind which any ingenious lecturer may readily 
provide himself with at a relatively small cost, and the 
experiments are certainly calculated to give point and 
value to the teaching they are intended to illustrate. 
The various kinds of sedimentation are treated of in the 
same way, the action of rain, rivers, seas and lakes, sub- 
NO.1556, VOL. 60] 
NATORE 
[AuGusT 24, 1899 
form new rocks being successively handled. In the 
second part of the work we have a series of experiments 
to illustrate the action of the internal forces at work on 
the earth’s crust. The origin of crystalline rocks, in- 
cluding illustrations of vitrification and devitrification, 
metamorphism, both contact and regional, and the origin 
of mineral veins are discussed in a somewhat summary 
manner, with reference chiefly to work that has been 
carried on in France ; and this division of the book ends 
with a rather speculative chapter on the more deeply- 
seated materials of the globe. The third part of the 
work deals with volcanoes, earthquakes and the produc- 
tion of mountain-chains. Although the treatment of the 
various questions is—perhaps necessarily—somewhat 
unequal, no teacher of geology can fail to gather from 
this work of Prof. Meunier many useful hints which will 
prove of great value in illustrating the action of the 
various forces which have contributed to the production 
of the features of the earth’s crust, while the student and 
general reader will find it equally full of suggestiveness 
and novelty. 
The Fauna of Shropshire: being an Account of all the 
Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Fishes found in the 
County of Salop. By H.E. Forrest. Pp. viii + 248 
+ vi; illustrated. (Shrewsbury and London, 1899). 
THIs little book, excellent in its way as a local vertebrate 
fauna, is somewhat more than its title implies. It gives, 
for instance, a very well-written and interesting account 
of the habits of many species of British mammals, more 
especially the smaller and commoner kinds. Particular 
attention may be directed to the life-histories of the mole 
and the shrew, some of the facts in the former being new 
tous. The great feature of the book is the very excellent 
account of the mode of development and general habits 
of the British Amphibia ; this group of animals being 
apparently the author's favourite subject of study. The 
reptiles are treated nearly as fully as the frogs and newts ; 
and here we may notice that the author considers that 
the legend of the viper’s swallowing its young may prove 
to be based on fact. A much smaller proportionate 
amount of space is devoted to the birds, for the reason 
that the author hopes to elaborate this portion of his 
subject on a future occasion. 
Although the illustrations, which are chiefly taken from 
mounted groups, are less satisfactory than they might be, 
the work may be commended not only to the naturalists 
of Salop, but to those of the British Islands generally. 
Rowe 
La Pratique du Maltage. Par Lucien Lévy. 
(Paris : G. Carré et C. Naud, 1899.) 
THIS work, which may be classed as belonging to the 
best type of modern technical literature, is based ona 
series of lectures given by Prof. Levy at the “ Institut des 
Fermentations de Université Nouvelle” of Brussels. 
At present there is a very open field for such a book, for 
during recent years no other work devoted specially to 
malting has been published which attempts, like the one 
before us, to combine the scientific and practical sides of 
the question. The work will have most value to readers 
in this country for the very complete account it contains 
of recent scientific work connected with germination ; 
this is given in a very clear and concise form, and the 
most recent researches of any importance are referred to. 
The more technical portions of the book bear a conti- 
nental stamp, and in certain places lead us to think that 
there are some things connected with malting we do 
better in England. However this may be, the work as a 
whole is recommended to those interested in malting as 
Pp. 248. 
_ Yain } 5 | the best technical treatise on the subject at present pub- 
terranean waters and wind in accumulating materials to | 
lished ; but it should be borne in mind that it is specially 
