December 15, 1898] 



NA TURE 



149 



riie story of Geographical Discovery. By Joseph 

 Jacobs. Pp. vi + 224. (London : George Newnes, 

 Ltd., 1899.) 

 ViR. J.\COB.s has written a very readable little book. 

 The historical aspect of geographical discovery is inter- 

 ,;stingly dealt with, and many subjects not usually in- 

 cluded in books of geography are rightly given consider- 

 ible prominence. The text is illustrated with twenty-four 

 lelpful maps, which serve to show the gradual increase 

 'jf knowledge of our globe. The concluding table, show- 

 'ing the progress of geographical science from the time 

 of Anaximander of Miletus down to the voyage of 'the 

 Cha/iciii^cr, is most instructive. The author has collected 

 his material with discrimination, and has evidently devoted 

 'much time and care to the preparation of his inspiring 

 little volume. The recent marked development of im- 

 perial instincts should ensure the book« the popularity 

 [it merits. 



j; The Sphere of Science : a S/i/ify of the Nature and Method 



I, of Scientific Investis;ation. liy F. S. Hofifman, Ph.D. 



I Pp. viii -V 268. (New York and London : t".. P. 



[ Putnam's Sons, 189S.) 



, This book is the outcome of a series of lectures recently 



I given by the author to his classes in Union College, to 

 supplement their work in formal logic. Its object is to 



' make clear what constitutes a science, and the grounds 



j upon which every science must rest. 



I Very naturally, an important place is given to such 



( considerations as the aims of science, what science takes 

 for granted, the scientific method, and the limitations 

 of science. Dr. Hoffman is always readable, and his 

 style is pleasing. The book is by no means only a text- 

 book ; it will be found interesting by many educated 

 readers, and should prove particularly useful in providing 

 students of science with a knowledge of the groundwork 

 of scientific in\estigation. 



Chlortfonn : its Absolutely Safe Administration. I5y 

 Robert Bell, M.D. Pp. 40. (Glasgow: R. L. 

 Holmes, 1898.) 

 Dr. Bki.i. states the results of over thirty years' ex]ier- 

 ience in the administration of chloroform. He writes 

 "as one havmg authority," since he has no death to 

 record from the use of chloroform throughout this long 

 practice. It is maintained that when properly admin- 

 istered, there is absolutely no danger attending the use 

 of chloroform as an anaesthetic ; and Dr. Bell gives a 

 large amount of evidence in support of his contention. 



A Middle Algebra. By William Briggs, M.A., and 

 G. H. Bryan, Sc.D., F.R S. Pp. vi -f 354. (London : 

 W. B. Clive.) 

 In this volume a knowledge of the more elementary 

 properties of quadratic equations and progressions is 

 assumed, and the requirements of candidates for the 

 intermed late examinations for degrees at the University 

 of London are especially borne in mind. Prof. Bryan's 

 name is a guarantee for the accuracy of the b 00k ; and 

 the arrangement, printing, and general appearance leave 

 little to be desired. 



Primer of Geometry. By James Sutherland, M. A. Pp. 



117. (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1898.) 

 M.\^•^• of the early propositions in Euclid's First Book 

 are reduced to actual measurements in this volume, and 

 are thus brought within the ready grasp of the mind of 

 the a\erage boy. The book really teaches the rudiments 

 of geometry and mensuration upon Frobelian principles. 

 Where the exercises it contains can be carried out, some 

 of them will prove of educational value; but others are 

 misleading. 



NO. 1520, VOL. 59] 



LETTERS -JO 'l HE EDltOR. 

 'Jfhc Eiilor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 

 pressel by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 

 iiinnuscripts intended for this or any other part of NATURE. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications.\ 



Syrian Fishes with Abnormal Eyes. 



Nkar the town of Hasbeya, .Syria, arise springs which 

 constitute in part the source of the small Hasbany river. In a 

 short stream formed by those waters, I have found several 

 varieties of abnormal-eyed fish, which, for convenience, may be 

 grouped under five heads. 



Fishes with (I) large protruding eyes ; (2) an eye normal, and 

 the other large and protruding ; (3) half-protruding eyes ; (4) 

 two abnormal eyes unequal in size and development ; (5) one 

 eye normal, and the other rudimentary. .\t less than a hundred 

 feet from the above-mentioned stream are two caves, but, 

 strangely enough, only normal-eyed fishes could be found in the 

 waters adjacent. The abnormal fishes are restricted to that 

 stream, and are in the ratio of about one to four to the normal 

 ones. The water is cold and tolerably clear, shallow near one 

 bank and gradually deepening towards the other, to a depth not 

 exceeding 7 feet in summer. No kingfishers or other fish-catchers 

 were observed. Some of the fishes belonging to No. i had 

 dark bodies and dark eyes, and seemed from their mode of 

 motion to be little, if at all, sensible to light. Others belonging 

 to No. 2 showed, by introducing a foreign object now near the 

 normal eye and now near the abnormal one, that the latter saw 

 less than the former. Dr. William van Dyck and Prof. A. E. 

 Day, of the American College in Beirut, saw the fishes, and 

 agreed that they had not met with any of the like during their 

 sludy of the fauna of Syria. I may state that, having a small 

 quantity of specimens, I would very willingly put it at the 

 disposal of any specialist who may be interested in the question. 

 Saleem JMakarius. 



Al-Mokattam, Cairo, December 2. 



Birds and Poisonous Fruit. 



1 1 is naturally difficult to obtain direct evidence as to how 

 birds rid themselves of the indigestible parts of the fruit they 

 eat. It is a quesiion to which I have given some attention from 

 its bearing on the dispersal of seeds. I have found large 

 quantities of the seeds of hawthorn, dog-rose, mistletoe, and ivy 

 evidently voided by birds, as I incline to think generally as 

 fKces, especially in the case of the hawthorn and ivy. Some 

 large bird, I suppose the rook, consumes ivy berries largely in 

 the spring, and gels rid of the seeds in what appears to be a mass 

 of excrementitio us matter. Many of these have not lost their 

 vitality, and germinate readily in the same season. I have 

 some thriving ivy plants obtained from such seed sown in 1896, 

 and numerous .seedlings this year of similar origin, the seed being 

 sown on April 28, and coming up on June 7. I do not think 

 much stress need be laid on the fact that much of the fruit 

 swallowed is voided undigested, though the mistle-seeds I 

 found were in a mass something like a lump of frog-spawn, with 

 much of ihe pulp of the berry still adhering to each seed. I 

 fancy birds and beasts, like many human beings, frequently 

 swallow greedily far more than is good for them, especially when 

 they light upon an abundant supply after enforced abstinence. 

 An observant farmer informs me that horses coming in hungry to 

 the manger will, if allowed, swallow corn more rapidly than they 

 can digest it, if the grains are supplied whole, and that a large 

 proportion passes in a condition to germinate. For this reason 

 he has it crushed before given to them. I could supply Mr. 

 Bennett or Mr. Lowe with some other curious evidence on this 

 question if they care to have it, and will send their address. 



Bedford. E. M. Langlev. 



I CAN confirm Mr. Lowe's theory on this question. 



For many years I have had robins coming to the hand for 

 tbod in my garden. Before flying to the hand they constantly 

 wait until they have succeeded in ejecting seeds from their 

 crops. Great tits and blue tits also come to the hand, but 

 never pause to eject anything. They are probably not large 

 consumers of poisonous fruits. 



I have on my lawn a large round china dish on an iron stand, 

 in which many birds bathe, and from which they drink at all 



