438 



A'A rURE 



[March 9, 1899 



where yiven, the formuko of the very soluble and of the 

 sparingly soluble double thiosulphates of silver and 

 sodium should change places. The volume is enriched 

 by many beautiful specimens of photographic methods 

 of illustration. 



iVonders of the Bird World. By R. Bowdler Sharpe. 

 Pp. xvi + 399. Illustrated. (London : Wells Gardner, 

 Darton, and Co., 1898.) 



Mr. Sh.\rpe's lectures on the "Curiosities of Bird Life" 

 ■obtained such e.xtensive and well-merited popularity, that 

 their reproduction, with e.vtensive additions, in book-form 

 may be welcomed ; more especially since, owing to ill- 

 health, the author has been compelled to abandon the 

 lectures themselves. Although apparently not containing 

 much new matter, the volume is certainly a most in- 

 teresting production, calculated to attract readers who 

 possess little or no claim to rank as naturalists. It teems 

 with anecdote ; and, for the most part, is singularly free 

 from dry technicalities. 



It is true that in one chapter we have the inevitable 

 list of "orders and families" of birds, but elsewhere 

 <lassification is conspicuous by its absence ; and the 

 chief aim of the author seems to be to treat his favourites 

 from the aspect of habits. We have, for instance, chapters 

 on coloration, nesting and nests, courtship and dancing, 

 mimicry and protective resemblances, and parasitism. 

 The volume commences with two chapters on " wonderful 

 birds," in which the reader is introduced in a popular 

 »vay to some of the most remarkable extinct types. 

 .•\mong these, reference may be made to some excellent 

 restorations from the pencil of Mr. W. P. Pyoraft, which 

 seem to convey the best possible idea of what these birds 

 looked like in life. And here attention may be directed 

 to the beauty of the illustrations generally, most of which 

 are by Mr. A. T. Ehves. If it be not almost invidious to 

 make a selection, the figures of the secretary-bird and 

 white-headed stork strike us as especially deserving of 

 ■commendation. While mentioning that every bird is 

 really "wonderful," Mr. Sharpe includes in his first two 

 chapters all the ratite birds, the hoatzm, the megapodes, 

 dodo, and penguins ; all of which are rightly placed in 

 this assemblage. 



To analyse the book is entirely beyond the limits of 

 our space, but we may specially draw attention to the 

 chapters on nesting habits ; and among these to the very 

 interesting account of the entombment and feeding of 

 the female hornbill during the period of incubation. The 

 notes on the cuckoos, and especially the resemblance of 

 the black cuckoo to the drongo, also strike us as being of 

 more than ordinary interest. But when all is so good we 

 must refer the reader to the work itself. 



The weakest chapter in the book is undoubtedly that 

 dealing with the geographical distribution of birds ; and 

 in this, we venture to think, the author has by no means 

 availed himself of all the information accessible. In- 

 deed, we may say he is distinctly behind the time ; 

 especially as regards the relations of the Malagasy fauna 

 to that of Africa. .\nd here we must protest against the 

 bugbear "priority" being made an excuse for employing 

 the discredited term " Lemurian" instead of Mascarene. 



We could wish, also, that the author would make up 

 his mind as to the names to be employed for particular 

 species of birds, instead of constantly changing them. 

 For instance, we find in his " Handljook of British Birds," 

 published a few years ago, the swift figuring as Micropiis 

 iipus, whereas it appears here (p. 226) as Aptis apus. 

 Again, in the former work we have Capercailzie, in the 

 present one (p. 352) Capercailie. If Apus is entitled to 

 stand for the bird, it must be discarded for the well- 

 known crustacean. Misprints are few, although we notice 

 (p. 254) Eurypya nelias standing in place of Etirypyga 

 Ac lias. R. L. 



NO. 1532, VOL. 59] 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 ■Jfhe Elilor does not hold himself responsible for opinions «JC-J 

 pressel hy his correspondents Neither can he underlak 

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

 niannscripts intended for this or any other part of NaTURB.] 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communications.^ 



Chemists and Chemical Industries. 



The Iw'j letters on this subject in your issue of February 23, 

 the one by my good friend Mr. Friswell, the other by my dis- 

 tingui.shed pupil Mr. I'ope, are in striking contrast : the former 

 says much that is true, but in the end, I think, gives an entirely 

 false impression. 



Why things here and in Germany are different has little ii 

 anything to do with the technical teaching given in the two 

 countries: the (German teachers are as much "academical 

 chemical pedagogues " as are we English — perhaps a little 

 more so. Manufacturers — firms like Mr. Kriswell's — are mainly 

 responsible for our decadence. Next to Pcrkin, his original 

 firm were pioneers in the aniline colour industry ; how m.any 

 trained chemists have they had in their employ ? Half a 

 dozen? How many have been engaged in the industry in the 

 country generally ? .K .score ? And in ( vermany — hundreds .' 

 Ciermany owes her success to the fact that her manufacturers 

 and merchants are cute men of business, willing to give them- 

 selves infinite trouble, and who not only understand their 

 business but also appreciate the value of science. Ours as a 

 class do not know what science is — does, for example, a single 

 one of Mr. Friswell's directors really know what aniline is? 



Mr. Friswell by implication libels our Knglish schools when 

 he says : " Our technologists must come from Germany, or go 

 there to be made." Prof. James Sluart, in the otherwise most 

 admirable rectorial address he recently delivered at St. Andrews, 

 made a similar erroneous statement. It is time that this 

 aged German ghost were laid and such utterly false doctrine 

 put aside. Faults our schools have, and grave ones, but 

 they have made an extraordinary advance of late years and 

 are daily becoming more practical and less academic — and this 

 notwithstanding that our universities regard research work only 

 as a post-gr.aduate exercise and by teaching reliance on authority 

 do their best to kill the goose that is to lay the golden eggs, a 

 policy the very reverse of that pursued in Germany ; and not- 

 withstanding also ihat we expatriate our most capable students 

 by Royal Commission and sustain them abroad practically as 

 assistants — and very competent ones, too — of foreign workers, 

 much to the detriment of our own schools and very often little 

 to the advantage of the student. We now give in quite a 

 number of our schools an education even superior to that given 

 in Germany, and our native product is to be found doing the 

 best of work throughout the country. I will go further 

 and say that in too many German schools much that is now 

 taught and learnt is certainly not science and most harmful, 

 exact and painstaking work having given place to wild specu- 

 lation. It is partly because this is felt to he the case that the 

 movement discussed in Dr. Fischer's pamphlet has been initiated. 

 I yield to no one in respect and admiration of German achieve- 

 ments, but we carry adoration too far and in our gratitude for 

 the many services German teachers have rendered us forget 

 that neither is England Germany nor the English character 

 identical with the German — Gott set Dank — both nations having 

 peculiarities of which each is justly proud. 



If English manufacturers will show their appreciation of 

 science as the Germans do by giving employment at fair wage 

 to men who have learnt to think for themselves as well as to 

 work honestly and exactly, our schools will soon be filled to 

 overflowing — genius will be attracted to them, and the tide of 

 (ierman competition will be easily stemmed in so far as 

 chemists can stem it. But a far darker cloud loon s in the near 

 distance, which probably will overshadow both Germany and 

 us : for it is very doubtful if we shall succeed in holding our 

 own against American readiness, resourcefulness and organising 

 ability ; this, indeed, is a factor in the coming struggle which 

 we shortsighted English seem altogether to miss out from our 

 calculations, but it were well that we noted it seriously. 



llEiNRV E. -Vrmstroni;. 



Wehnelt's Contact-Breaker for Induction Coils. 

 This important advance in technique will undoubtedly lead 

 to increased activity in X-ray work, and I trust the following 

 notes will therefore be of interest to your readers. 



