336 
“Evolution in Biology” is an entertaining history of 
the contest between the theories of Epigenesis and Meta- 
morphosis, passing on to a brief account of the facts 
relating to the “ Evolution of the Individual”’ as brought 
to light by modern embryology, and of the “ Evolution of 
the Sum of Living Beings,’’ as previously taught by the 
older theorists, and as now taught by a conjunction of 
the sciences. 
©n the two addresses that remain it is needless to 
comment, as one of them—viz. that which was delivered 
before the International Medical Congress in August last 
—must be well within the recollection of our readers, and 
the other “On the Coming of Age of the ‘Origin of 
Species, ” has already been printed in these columns 
(1880). We may, however, fitly conclude our necessarily 
inadequate review of so much: admirable writing by again 
printing the beautiful peroration of this address. 
» 
‘«T venture to repeat what I have said before, that, so 
far as the animal world is concerned, evolution is no 
longer a speculation, but a statement of historical fact. 
It takes its place alongside of those accepted truths 
which must be reckoned with by philosophers of all 
Schools. Thus when, on the first day of October next, the 
‘Origin of Species’ comes of age, the promise of its 
youth will be amply fulfilled ; and we shall be prepared 
to congratulate the venerated author of the book, not 
only that the greatness of his achievement and _ its 
enduring influence upon the progress of knowledge have 
won hima place beside our Harvey; but, still more, that, 
like Harvey, he has lived long enough to outlast detrac- 
tion and opposition, and to see the stone that the builders 
rejected become the head-stone of the corner.” 
GEORGE J. ROMANES 
OUR BOOK SHELF 
Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, vol. xii. 
(November 11, 1880-November 10, 1881). 
THE papers in this volume, as usual, are mostly purely 
analytical in their character. Prof. Cayley’s contribu- 
tions are very short: the binomial equation +4 — I = 0; 
quinquisection; on the flexure and equilibrium of a skew 
surface; on the geodesic curvature of a curve on a 
surface, and on the Gaussian theory of surfaces. Sir J. 
Cockle continues his remarks on binomial biordinals. 
Mr. Glaisher’s papers are also few and short, viz. on some 
definite integrals expressible in terms of the first complete 
definite integral, and of gamma-functions ; note on cer- 
tain symbolic operators and their application to the 
solution of certain partial differential equations. Messrs. 
Crofton and J. J. Walker have some points of contact, 
the former writing on operative symbols in the differential 
calculus, the latter continuing his theorems in the calculus 
of operations. Mr. Walker also contributes a quaternion 
proof of a problem discussed by Mr. S. Roberts, viz. 
certain tetrahedra specially related to four spheres meeting 
ina point. Mr. Roberts also gives a historical note on 
Dr. Graves’s theorem on confocal conics.” Mr. W. R. W. 
Roberts has a paper on the periods of the first class of 
hyper-elliptic integrals, and a note on the coordinates of 
a tangent line to the curve of intersection of two quadrics. 
Mr. T. Craig has a note on Abel’s theorem. Papers bear- 
ing on geometry are contributed by Prof. Genese, on a 
system of co-ordinates ; by Mr. H. Hart, on the general 
equation of the second degree in tetrahedral co-ordinates; 
by Mr. H. M. Jeffery, on bicircular quartics, with a triple 
and a double focus, and three single foci, all of them col- 
linear ; and on spherical quartics, with a quadruple cyclic 
arc and a triple focus; by Prof. Mannheim, sur les sur- 
faces paralléles; by Mr. R. A. Roberts, on the tangents 
NATURE 
[Feb. 9, 1882 
———— 
drawn from a point to a nodal cubic; and note on a sys- 
tem of cartesian ovals, passing through four points on a 
circle. Signor Brioschi writes sur une propriété du para- 
métre de la transformée canonique des formes cubiques 
temaires ; and Mr. Carpmael renews an old discussion in 
his some solutions of Kirkman’s 15-school-girl problem. 
The subject of kinematics on a sphere is ably treated by 
Mr. E. B. Elliott. Mr. Routh contributes some applica- 
tions of conjugate functions,and Mr. W. D. Niven writes 
on the electrical capacity of a conductor bounded by two 
spherical surfaces cutting at any angle. The presidential 
address is by Mr. C. W. Merrifield, and is entitled “ Con- 
siderations respecting the Translation of Series of Obser- 
vations into Continuous Formula.” We have sketched 
out a bill of fare appealing to many diverse tastes, and 
we can assure our readers that the dishes are all of 
admirable quality. 
Fornal de Sciencias Mathematicas e Astronomicas, Publi- 
cado pelo Dr. Francisco Gomes Teixeira. (Cvimbra, 
1881.) 
WE have received the first two volumes of this work and 
the five opening numbers of the third volume. It is a 
matter of considerable interest to see what a place scien- 
tific writings and mathematical works are taking in the 
Peninsula. The journal before us is apparently not at all 
ambitious in its aims, but seeks to bring before the 
students such articles as might perhaps find a place in 
our own Messenger of Mathematics. A fault we have to 
find with the single numbers is that they have no index 
of contents, and further, they are unstitched. We wish 
Prof. Gomes Teixeira every success in his venture. 
Von Wilhelm 
(Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 
Philosophische Studien herausgegeben. 
Wundt. Bd. 1 Heft 1. 
1881.) 
IN the Phzlosophische Studien we have the first instalment 
of a new periodical conducted by Wilhelm Wundt, which 
bids fair to attract a wide circle of readers not deterred 
by close, hard reasoning. It contains four articles :—(1) On 
psychological methods, by the editor ; in three sections 
treating of the psychophysical methods, methods of analysis 
of the sense-perception, and of psychological measure- 
ment of time ; (2) Ox the length of time in the appercep- 
tion of simple and compound tdeas (colours and numbers), 
by Dr. Max Friedrich ; an essay which no doubt owes a 
great deal also to the editor, and containing the results of 
some remarkable experiments on the above phenomena ; 
(3) Investigations on the sense of time, by Julius Kollert, 
in continuation of Vierordt’s experiments on the same 
subject ; (4) On mathematical induction, by the editor, 
under the heads of “analytical and synthetic methods in 
mathematics,” “the question of the origin of mathe- 
matical principles,” “experimental beginnings of mathe- 
matics,” “ permanent forms of mathematical induction,’’ 
“mathematical abstraction,” and “exact analogy.” The 
spirit and methods of the editor permeate the whole 
of this first number, and guarantee the value of the 
periodical. 
Biologische Probleme, zugleich als Versuch einer ration- 
ellen Ethik. Von W.H. Rolph. (Leipzig: W. Engel- 
mann, 1881). 
ORIGINALLY intended as a criticism on the customary 
methods of ethics, especially Herbert Spencer’s “ Data of 
Ethics,’’ the present work has assumed a wider scope, 
and embraces the treatment of a number of biological 
problems, which the author has endeavoured to connect 
with a view to solution on a common basis. Its aim may 
be best exhibited in the following enumeration of the 
subjects discussed :—viz. the doctrine of evolution, sub- 
| jective systems (Mallock, Spencer, Miss Bevington); H. 
| Spencer’s Hedonism; theory of nourishment (hunger the 
| first motive to action, p. 53); theory of development 
