i ae A 
-FEsruary 17, 1923] 


_ and xii. They are, however, retranslated by permis- 
sion of the publishers for the purpose of the present 
collected edition of English translations of Fabre’s 
entomological writings. There is no doubt that the 
rendering of the latter into English will do something 
towards arousing interest in the phenomena of insect 
behaviour. We may even be permitted to express the 
pious hope that it will tempt the collector to turn aside 
from the mere acquisition of specimens and to observe 
the living more than the dead insect. The great 
3 family of the Curculionide, with more than 20,000 
_ described species of weevils, provides a rich store of 
material for observation. Some of the most interest- 
ing features in the life-habits of these insects are 
discussed in the pages before us. Although lacking 
in the dramatic incidents so inseparably associated 
with the Hymenoptera, the behaviour of weevils as 
told of Fabre, and reproduced in this translation, will 
_ provide entertainment both to the general reader and 
the entomologist. AS DEL. 
Modern Microscopy: a Handbook for Beginners and 
Students. By M.I. Cross and Martin J. Cole. Fifth 
edition, revised and rearranged by Herbert F. 
Angus. Pp. x+315. (London: Bailliére, Tindall 
and Cox, 1922.) ros. 6d. net. 
Tuar there has been a call for a fifth edition of this 
book we can well understand, as it gives an excellent 
introduction to all branches of microscopy. In the 
opening chapters the mechanics and optics of the 
microscope are described, and instructions are given 
on the general method of using the instrument, illumina- 
tion, drawing and measuring apparatus, and for tests 
of the optical system. 
In the second portion of the book, chapters written 
by specialists in their respective subjects deal with 
various aspects of microscopy. Thus, Mr. Barnard 
and Drs. Cooke and Drew describe the use of the 
microscope in medicine, including dark ground illumina- 
tion ; histology is dealt with by Mr. Cole, including 
hardening and embedding tissues and section cutting ; 
and Prof. Cheshire writes on the microscope in geology 
and discusses simply and clearly the polarisation of 
light. Another interesting chapter is that by Mr. 
Cutler on the microscope in agriculture, particularly 
the protozoa of the soil. Pond life, foraminifera, 
mycetozoa, mosses and liverworts are some of the other 
_ subjects dealt with, and a final chapter by Mr. Cole 
_ describes the preparation and mounting of common 
objects. A useful glossary of technical terms is in- 
cluded, together with details of the Royal Microscopical 
4 Society's standards, the specifications of the British 
_ Science Guild, and microscopical societies and clubs. 
The book is very readable and well illustrated, and the 
information contained in it is accurate and up-to-date, 
The Wirral Peninsula: an Outline Regional Survey. 
By W. Hewitt. Pp. x+293. (Liverpool: Uni- 
versity Press of Liverpool, Ltd. ; London: Hodder 
and Stoughton, Ltd., 1922.) 7s. 6d. net. 
Mr. Hewirr has selected a small and well-defined area, 
and in successive chapters has considered its phy sical, 
biological, and human aspects, in an endeavour to 
explain the geographical evolution of the area. The 
social and economic conditions of any region must 
necessarily depend to a large extent on its position, 
NO. 2781, VOL. 111] 

*.- 
‘ 
NATURE 
' natural features, soil, climate, and vegetation. 
| is only some 130 square miles in extent and until the 
| agricultural. 
industries across the Mersey and growing commercial 

217 
Wirral 

middle of the nineteenth century was almost entirely 
But the rapid increase of manufacturing 
importance of the Mersey estuary have resulted in an 
industrial invasion of the left bank of the river. In- 
dustries promise to show a steady increase in import- 
ance. Agriculture will probably retain its hold, but 
considerable changes in methods and conditions are 
taking place. The social evolution which Wirral is now 
undergoing can be adequately understood only by a 
study of its regional geography in the light of the past. 
The volume is an example of the growing attention 
that is being paid to regional survey, and is a welcome 
addition to the small number of studies of this kind 
which have been prepared in this country. We gather 
that the author regards it as a preliminary sketch, and 
that a fuller survey is in course of preparation. 
An Experiment in Synthetic Education. By Emily C. 
Wilson. With Chart for Five Years’ Work. Pp. 62. 
(London: George Allen and Unwin, Ltd., 1921.) 
4s. 6d. net. 
More than one hundred years ago, Herbart sketched 
out his ideal system of education, which was to utilise 
all knowledge for the formation of character. For this 
purpose the knowledge was to be presented as a unity 
instead of in the usual way which drew a hard and fast 
line between each subject. Since his day the specialisa- 
tion of knowledge has increased so much that the 
problem, difficult though it was then, is infinitely more 
difficult now ; the intelligent teacher who would put 
his children into touch with all aspects of modern 
knowledge, while yet giving the requisite historical 
background for the understanding of that knowledge, 
is faced with difficulties at every stage. 
This little book shows how one school attempted to 
deal with the problem. Each subject for convenience 
demands a name standing for particular aspects of 
knowledge, but it should be treated in relation to the 
other subjects. A chart giving details of a five years’ 
scheme is appended. It is an interesting and suggestive 
experiment. 
Lecgons sur les Invariants Intégraux: Cours professé 
a@ la Faculté des Sciences de Paris. Par Prof. E. 
Cartan. Pp. x+210. (Paris: A. Hermann et 
Fils, 1922.) 20 francs. 
An account of Poincaré’s theory of integral invariants 
with special reference to analytical dynamics is given 
in the’volume under notice. It opens with Hamilton’s 
principle of least action and contains detailed dis- 
cussions of such questions as differential systems 
admitting infinitesimal transformations. There are 
also chapters on the application of Poincaré’s theory 
to the problem of bodies and to Fermat’s principle 
in optics. Much matter collected here can only be 
found scattered elsewhere in scientific journals. 
Rayonnement et gravitation. Par Félix Michaud. 
Pp. viii+62. (Paris: Gauthier-Villars et Cie, 1922.) 
6 francs. 
An attempt which does not go into details to trace 
all physical phenomena back to radiation, gravita- 
tion for example being ascribed to ultra X-rays. 
