502 
and only occasional occurrence, and are not found at all 
much farther south. Again, many species hardly known 
in Massachusetts and southward, except as migratory 
species passing through in spring and autumn, are in 
Maine regular summer visitants, breeding abundantly. 
Other minor differences, resulting from latitude and physical 
geography, will readily be brought to mind by attentive 
consideration of the subject, and therefore need not be 
here detailed. It will be evident that a due regard for 
these important points has necessitated, in the case of 
almost every species in the list, remarks elucidative of the 
special part it plays in the composition of the avifauna.” 
The later numbers, especially of the Proceedings, are 
illustrated by admirably executed lithographs illustrative 
of the natural history pages, and a considerable amount 
of space is occupied by reports of the Field meetings of the 
members, It is interesting to read that the idea of these 
excursions, which have been productive of such valuable 
practical result, originated from a perusal of the Transac- | 
tions of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club. 
While thus affording a medium for the publication of 
papers of sterling scientific value, the Essex Institute has 
not been unmindful of the no less imperative duty of scien- 
tific bodies, that of promoting a taste for science among 
the educated but unscientific public. We in this country 
have perhaps erred in too much ignoring the profanum 
vulgus. It becomes, however, yearly more and more 
manifest that science must be no esoteric religion, but that 
it must grasp, in its all-including embrace every section 
of the community. It is doubtful, indeed, which class of 
scientific men deserves best of the republic, those who de- 
vote the whole of their time to actual work in the labo- 
ratory or the dissecting-room ; or those who of the riches 
of their knowledge impart to the ignorant crowd in the 
lecture-room or by the popular treatise. With the names 
of the former will doubtless be connected the most impor- 
tant discoveries of the age ; the latter will have the satis- 
faction of knowing that they have done their part towards 
making science really popular, towards spreading its 
blessings among the masses. The danger is when the 
instruction of the public is undertaken by those who have 
not practically made themselves masters of the mysteries 
which they presume to communicate to others. 
Commencing with January 1869, the issue was com- 
menced, in addition to the publications named above, of 
the “ Bulletin of the Essex Institute,” the object being to 
give to the public such portions of communications made 
to the [nstitute as are of popular interest. We find here, 
in language intelligible to non-scientific readers, reports 
of such proceedings and papers read at meetings of the 
Institute, in Natural History, Philology, and History, as 
are likely to interest the inhabitants of the county gene- 
rally ; and we look upon this as not the least valuable of 
its publications. 
An interesting publication in connection with the Essex 
Institute is “ The Naturalists’ Directory,” which is in- 
tended, when complete, to form a list of the addresses of 
the workers in each department of science all over the 
world. Ifever the proposed union of our scientific societies 
is effected, we may get something of the kind in this 
country. 
The above account of the Proceedings of the Essex 
Institute since its foundation may serve to show the zeal 
NATURE 


[Oct. 26, 1871 

displayed by workers in Natural History in the United 
States, and may also be useful in pointing out some 
hitherto unrecognised fields of usefulness to similar bodies 
at home. 


OUR BOOK SHELF 
Contributions to the Flora of Mentone, and to a Winter 
Flora of the Kiviera, incluaing the Coast from Mar- 
seilles to Genoa. By J. Traherne Moggridge, F.L.S. 
100 coloured plates. (London : L. Reeve and Co., 1871.) 
Mr. McoccrRIDGE has collected in this splendid volume 
drawings and descriptions of one hundred of the most 
striking plants of the Mediterranean coast of France. 
We have no preface to inform us on what principles the 
selection has been made, nor are they self-evident. But 
few of the species are new, though some of them are 
doubtful plants of which precise characters were much 
wanted. Mr. Moggridge is well known to English 
botanists as an accurate and careful observer, who has 
paid great attention to the botany of this district ; and he 
has here produced a volume which is not only a useful 
contribution to science, but is surpassed by few that we 
know as a /évre de /uxe to lie on the drawing-room table. 
The illustrations are beautifully drawn by the author him- 
self, and are exquisitely coloured. Mr. Moggridge has 
made himself thoroughly acquainted with the beautiful 
but difficult species or varieties of Orchis of the south of 
France related to our Bee-orchis. It is remarkable that, 
while on our chalk-hills the bee and fly orchis, Ophrys 
apifera and muscifera, remain perfectly distinct, in the 
south of Europe they approximate to one another by 
innumerable intermediate forms, which may all be con- 
sidered as varieties of Linneeus’s O. znsectifera. These 
are here worked out with great care, and we have plates 
of a number of the most interesting forms. A. W. B. 
Zeitschrift der osterreichischen Gesellschaft fiir Meteoro- 
fogie. Redigirt von Dr. C. Jelinek und Dr. J. Hann, 
v. Band, mit 3 lithographirten Tafeln, pp. 644; vi. 
Band, pp. I—224 (Wien, 1870-71.) 
THE fifth volume of the Journal of the Austrian 
Meteorological Society, published fortnightly, and extend- 
ing in one year to 644 octavo pages, shows at once the 
extraordinary energy with which this society conducts its 
operations, and the high estimation in which meteorology 
is held in Austria. What strikes one as the most re- 
markable feature of this periodical is the broad and 
catholic spirit in which the science is treated. Whilst 
the articles are mostly written by members of the society, 
the pages of the journal are open to meteorologists in 
all parts of the globe. Reprints or abstracts, accompanied 
where necessary with tabular matter, of the more im- 
portant meteorological papers which have been published 
in other journals, appear from time to time. A few of 
the more important of these are the following, viz :— 
Dove’s “ Non-periodic Changes of the Distribution of 
Temperature over the Earth’s Surface,” D. Milne Home’s 
“Increasing the Supply of Spring Water at Malta, and 
Improving the Climate of the Island,” Glaisher’s “* Tem- 
perature of the Air at Different Heights,” Buchan’s “ Mean 
Pressure and Prevailing Winds over the Globe,” Wojeikof’s 
“Mean Temperature of Russia,” Raulin’s ‘‘ Rainfall of 
Algiers,” Rayet’s “‘ Climates of the Isthmus of Suez,” 
Jelinek’s “ Distribution of Thunderstorms in Austria,” 
Petermann’s “Monogram on the Gulf-Stream,’? Mohn’s 
“Temperature of the Sea,’ and Angus Smith’s “ Com- 
position of the Atmosphere.” The abstracts are not 
bald productions, but ably written and readable articles. 
Another admirable feature is the papers on the climates 
of places in different parts of the globe, by Dr. Hann, 
one of the editors and unquestionably one of the greatest 
a 
