March 5, 1908] 



NA TURE 



411 



A considerable space is devoted to a consideration 

 of the reduction phenomena which form such a strik- 

 ing feature in the cellular life-cycle of the great 

 majority of animals and plants. But we cannot 

 forbear from protesting against the introduction of 

 what seems to us to be a totally unjustifiable con- 

 fusion into current terminology. The term " meiotic 

 phase," used to cover the processes connected with 

 " reduction," was introduced to embrace the /wo 

 mitoses which are intimately connected. In the course 

 of the first of these the reduction in the number of the 

 chromosomes is accomplished. Mr. Walker, however, 

 speaks of the second meiotic division as post-meiotic, 

 thus obscuring the close relationship that exists be- 

 tween the heterotype and homotype division, a rela- 

 tionship that is, partly at least, due to the fact that 

 in the prophase of the first meiotic (heterotype) 

 division, a fission in the chromosome rudiments takes 

 place which will be consummated during the second 

 (homotype) mitosis; this explains the common, though 

 not invariable, absence of the spireme from the 

 second division, and probably is connected with the 

 rapidity with which the two mitoses usually follow 

 on each other. The term post-meiotic should be (as it 

 hitherto has been) reserved for those mitoses, if any, 

 which occur after the completion of the meiotic phase. 



The description given of polar bodies is made, doubt- 

 less by inadvertence, to read as though these struc- 

 tures only represented nuclei and not cells, whereas, 

 of course, they are each severally homologous with 

 the egg. 



The book would be improved by the substitution of 

 a more comprehensive account of the nuclei of the 

 lower organisms for the matter contained in chapters 

 X. and xi., which seems to us to be somewhat out of 

 place in a work of this kind, as well as open to 

 criticism on other grounds. 



The addition of an introductory chapter dealing 

 with the development of our knowledge of the cell, and 

 the recognition of its paramount importance, would 

 be useful when there is a demand for a second 

 edition, and at the same time the references which 

 appear at the foot of some of the pages might also 

 be completed. 



We have criticised the work somewhat frankly, 

 perhaps, but this has been done not with the intention 

 of condemning it. On the contrary, it possesses many 

 verv good qualities, and with some little modification 

 and correction, it will easily rank as an extremely 

 useful text-book of elementary cytology. J. B. F. 



Immune Sera. By Dr. C. F. Bolduan. Second 

 edition, re-written. Pp. viii + 154. (New York; 

 John Wiley and .Sons; London : Chapman and Hall, 

 Ltd., 1907.) Price 6jr. 6d. net. 



This book has its origin in a monograph by Wasser- 

 man, a translation of which w-as published by the 

 author in 1904. This second edition has been re- 

 written by the translator. The original chapters are 

 dealt with more fully, and the scope of the book has 

 been widened bv the addition of chapters on venins 

 and antivenins, agglutinins, opsonins, and serum- 

 sickness. 



The antitoxins are first dealt with, and brief out- 

 lines are given of the history of the subject and of 

 the methods of preparing and testing antitoxins. 

 Ehrlich's views on the origin of antitoxin, on the con- 

 stitution of diphtheria antitoxin, and on the nature of 

 the combination between toxin and antitoxin, are 

 treated in a lucid manner. The views of Arrhenius 

 and of Bordet receive less adequate treatment. 



In handling the subject of the agglutinins, the 

 bacteriohsins, the ha?moIysins, and the precipitins, 



NO. 2001, VOL. 77] 



much discrimination has been shown in avoiding a 

 discussion of the more difficult theoretical considera- 

 tions, and in selecting the fundamental facts and 

 experiments for exposition. 



A good account is given of the application of 

 hrjemolytic and precipitin methods to practical pur- 

 poses Among these may bo mentioned methods of 

 great importance in medico-legal work, viz., the 

 biological tests for bloodstains by means of which it 

 is possible to differentiate human blood from the blood 

 of other animals. 



The least satisfactory chapters in the book are those 

 on serum sickness, snake venoms, and opsonins. In 

 regard to the last, the author states that the results 

 obtained by most workers in .\menca fail to bear out 

 Wright's claims for his method. 



On the whole, this is an excellent little book, and 

 ought to be of service both to those who wish to keep 

 abreast of the main advances in the subject and to 

 those who are attacking these questions for the first 

 time. 



A Guide to the Study of Australian Butterflies. By 

 W. J. Rainbow. Pp. 272 ; illustrated. (Melbourne : 

 T. C. Lothian, 1907.) Price 3s. 6d. 

 This is a useful little book intended for beginners 

 taking up the study of Australian butterflies, with 

 special reference to their life-history. Indeed, the 

 author not only tells us in his preface that " much of 

 the material in the way of life-histories is now pub- 

 lished for the first time," but also, " Only_ those 

 species of which something is known of their life- 

 history are included in the present volume." Surely 

 this last resolution is a double mistake. On the one 

 hand it will be a great disappointment to any collector 

 who meets with one of the purposely omitted species 

 not to be able to discover from this book (perhaps the 

 only one on the subject to be found within hundreds 

 of miles) whether his find is known, or probably new; 

 and, on the other, if attention had been directed 

 to imperfectly known species, it would have largely 

 conduced to efforts being made to supply the de- 

 ficiencies in our knowledge. The book otherwise, 

 however, seems to be very well executed, and is re- 

 markable for being written almost entirely from 

 Australian sources. 



The classification followed is taken from Mr. G. A. 

 Waterhouse's "Catalogue of the Rhopalocera of 

 Australia." The frontispiece represents two hand- 

 some species of Delias and two of Papilio, while most 

 of the species mentioned in the book are excellently 

 figured, figures of the earlier stages being frequently 

 added. The introductory chapters deal with trans- 

 foimations, parasites, collecting and preserving, &c., 

 and are also freely illustrated, the figures of \ving- 

 neuration on p. 23 being particularly good. Ninety 

 species are included in this little volume, distributed 

 among six families as follows :— Nymphalidae (sens, 

 lat.), 35 ; Libvtheidse, i; Lycinidas {sic), 16; Pieridae, 

 12; Papilionidae, 9; Hesperida?, 17. 



We notice a few peculiarities in the spelling of some 

 of the names, which appear to be not misprints, but 

 intentional, such as Xeiiica klui^gi. and Lycinida. 



W. F. K. 



The Theory and Practice of Perspective Drawing. By 

 S. Polali. Pp. viii+184. (London: University 

 Tutorial Press, Ltd., 1907.) Price 55. 

 This volume of the " Organised Science Series " has 

 been specially compiled to meet the requirements of 

 the Board of Education's syllabus in perspective, and 

 covers the ground of both sections A and B of that 

 syllabus with their direct and inverse problems. 



