I50 



NA TURE 



[Bee. 17, I < 



refrain from any criticism on the plates, save that the 

 figures are for the most part of necessity from the originals 

 in Van Voorst's well-known series. 



Handbook of Jaiiiaha, 1885-S6. (London : Stanford.) 

 This is one of the most comprehensive books of the kind 

 that has come under our notice. Everything connected 

 with this interesting colony finds a place in it. The 

 history of the island, for instance, and the geographical 

 description of it might be read with advantage by the 

 most general reader. Of special interest to scientific 

 readers is the full account of the public gardens and 

 plantations, now under the efficient control of Mr. Morris, 

 whose reports we have noticed from time to time as they 

 were published. In the " Handbook,'' however, a history 

 of the department since 1774 is given ; and it is curious 

 to notice the influence it has had on the prosperity of 

 the island. Except pimento, "that child" of nature," 

 and a few others of comparatively'little value, most 

 of the staple products of Jamaica are derived from 

 exotics or plants introduced from other parts of the 

 globe. Thus the sugar-cane, in its several varieties, 

 coffee, the mango, logwood, cinnamon, the bamboo, mul- 

 berry, mimosa, camphor, clove and pepper plants, and 

 many other products of great commercial importance to 

 the island, were unknown a century and a half ago. The 

 manner in which they were brought in is given from his- 

 torical sources. Thus, that most important industry, 

 cinchona-planting, was only introduced in 1 86 1, on the 

 recommendation of the late Sir William Hooker ; the 

 first seeds were planted in the Botanic Gardens, and the 

 first plants reared and distributed from there. In 1S84 

 73i533 'tis, of cinchona bark, valued at 16,327/., were ex- 

 ported from Jamaica. Many other examples of the great 

 economical benefits of these Botanic Gardens on Jamaica 

 might be selected from the interesting historical account 

 of them given in this handbook. The sketch of the 

 Jamaica Institute is also of much interest. 



Syllabus of a Course of Lectures on Pltysiolos^y, delivered •■ 

 at Gufs Hospital. By Dr. P. H. Pye-Smith. (Lon- ' 

 don: J. and A. Churchill, 18S5.) 

 This volume consists of the outlines of lectures given ; 

 from time to time by the author at Guy's. The author, \ 

 in publishing it, aims at giving the student a help to 

 systematic reading and self-e.xamination, as also to recall 

 to all who take an interest in physiology, the chief facts 

 of this important subject. 



Consisting, as it does, of the heads and indications of 

 subjects, this work is one that naturally cannot, in the 

 ordinary sense of the term, be read through, nor will it 

 serve in any w'ay to cram a student for an examination : 

 but we have kept it by us, and from time to time returned 

 to its pages with ever-increasing interest. Though long 

 past the period of life usually described as the " student 

 stage," the ideas presented to us in this book, whether 

 concerning facts, theories, or the deeply-interesting his- 

 tory of the subject, have compelled us to become students 

 again, and we feel it a duty to urge our younger brethren, 

 who are engaged in their first studies of physiology, to 

 consult this little volume, as it is meant to be consulted ; 

 and if there be in them the smallest measure of an aspira- 

 tion for a knowledge of a science as important as it is 

 fascinating ; if they be earnest, honest students, they will 

 thank us for calling their attention to a volume which, in 

 a small space, compasses so vast a subject. 



Nature and Her Servants ; or, Sketches of the Animal 

 Kins^doni. By Theodore Wood. (London : Society 

 for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 18S6.) 

 This is a well-intentioned little work, illustrated by a set 

 of, for the most part, unobjectionable woodcuts. It is 

 intended for the young, and so scientific terms have been 

 almost wholly discarded. The author states very cor- 



rectly, that in order to impress a fact upon the mind of 

 a child, that fact must be presented in an interesting atiC^ 

 attractive manner, and it is presumably bearing this in 

 mind that he has selected the title to his volume, for 

 children soon learn to know all that is attractive and inter- 

 esting in the conception of a servant, and the child that reads 

 the introductory chapter to these sketches of the animal 

 kingdom will have this subject brought before him in full 

 detail. But as the thinking child reads on, will his tender 

 mind not be frightened at the notion so forcibly dwelt 

 upon by Mr. Wood, that this serving Nature means that 

 the strong servants should kill and swallow the weak ; 

 that wdiile by one law of " Mistress Nature " the servants 

 are to increase and multiply, by another law of the same 

 Dame the feeble and the little ones are destroyed by 

 the strong and the big, and that it is thus that these ser- 

 vants, now become foes, " fulfil their trust." The young 

 inquirer who reads this on the first page may find it 

 hard to agree with the statement on the last page, that 

 " Nature is a good mistress, and provides her servants 

 with all that they may require." 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 



[ The Editor does not hold himself responsible/or opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents. Neither can he undertake to return, 

 or to correspond -with the writers of, rejected manuscriMs. 

 No notice is taken of anonymous communicatio?is. 



[ The Editor urgently rcjuests correspondents to keep their letters 

 as short as possible. The pressure on his space is so great 

 that it is impossible otherwise to insure the appearance even 

 op communications containinginterestiii^ and novel facts.'[ 



The Whole Duty of a Chemist 



I HAVE read with much interest your article on '' The Whole 

 Duty of a Chemist." To me it appears perfectly clear that he 

 who does good work in iprofessional science and is paid highly 

 for it, is accorded less honour than he who does equally good 

 work in original scientific research and receives no personal 

 payment, because the former receives a pecuniary reward for his 

 labour whilst the latter does not ; the least honour is given 

 where there is the least self-sacrifice. The man who does 

 original research with the ultimate object of securing remunera- 

 tive scientific employment, works with a less unselfish motive 

 and object than he who does such research from a pure love of 

 truth and a desire to benefit mankind. But whilst the pursuit 

 of new knowledge has always been considered a nobler occupa- 

 tion than the pursuit of money, most scientific investigators do 

 some remunerative work, and workers in both departments are 

 necessary for the general welfare. G. Gore 



Institute of Scientific Research, Birmingham 



The Recent Star-Shower 



La pluie extraordinaire des etoiles filantes du 27 Novembre, 

 1872, s'est renouvelee cette annee le meme jour et a peu pres 

 avec la meme intensite. D'apres les telegrammes et les relations 

 que nous avons re9us en grand nombre jusqu'a present, il resulte 

 que le phenomene en question a ete remarque dans toute I'ltalie 

 depuis les Alpes jusqu'a I'extremite de la Sicile, et qu'il se 

 produisit partout sous les memes formes. II commen9a a la tombee 

 du jour. A Tarente, a 5 heures du soir, les etoiles jaillissaient 

 et filaient en lignes si compactes qu'elles per9aient de temps 

 en temps I'obscurite deja avancee de la nuit. A Palerme quelques- 

 uus de nos anciens eleves ingenieurs compterent 4600 meteores 

 de 5h. 15m. a 6h. 30m. A cette heure la pluie meteorique se 

 manifestait en plusieyrs autres endroits avec une abondance tout 

 a fait surprenante. 



Dans notre Observatoire on commen9a i explorer le ciel a 6h. 

 du soir (temps moyen de Rome). Nous avons suivi la meme 

 methode que je suivis in 1872 ; les observations actuellespeuvent 

 en consequence etre comparables avec celles dalors. Comme 

 j'eus deja phisieurs fois I'occasion d'exposer cette methode je crois 

 a propos de I'omettre ici. Je me bornerai a rapporter les resultats 

 obtenus de 15 en 15 minutes ; et afin de mieux eclaircir ma 



