Supplement to "Nature," Marcli 13, 1902. 



Goodrick for Goodricke (p. 102), Tebbut for Tebbutt 

 (p. 126), Edinborough for Edinburgh (p. 139), and 

 meteoritic theory for nieteoritic hypothesis (p. 190). As 

 was remarked at the commencement of this notice, the 

 book presents many interesting problems on subjects 

 with which Prof. Newcomb is familiar, but it leaves the 

 reader still to seek a broad-minded statement of the 

 position of spectroscopic work in connection with the 

 study of the stars. R. A. Gregory'. 



PRINCIPLES OF GEOGRAPHY. 

 Tarr and McMiirry's Geog^mphies. Second book, NorlJt 

 Ameiica. Third book, Europe and other Continents. 

 By R. S. Tarr and Frank M. McMurry. Pp. xix + 

 469, and .\x + 574. (New York : the Macmillan Com- 

 pany. London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd., igoo and 

 1901.) Price 4.J. hd. each. 



THE leading idea of this series, of which the first volume 

 only, that on " Home Geography," has been published 

 in England, is that "Geography treats of the relation 

 between man and the earth — a hill or a lake is worthy 

 of mention only because it bears a relation to us, the 

 men upon the earth ; considered by itself it is not a part 

 of geography." Without discussing this notable statement 

 on its merits, we confess to finding its application in 

 these volumes somewhat disappointing. It becomes an 

 attempt to extend the methods of the elementary illus- 

 trated geographies to more advanced stages, and neces- 

 sitates a degree of sketchiness which makes some parts 

 of the books almost unintelligible and others misleading. 

 On pp. 27 and 28 of vol. ii., for example, we find pictures 

 of fur-clad Eskimos and half-naked savages of the tropics 

 to illustrate the difference of temperature in these two 

 latitudes, and only fourteen pages further on we are con- 

 fronted with a vertical section of the atmosphere showing 

 the complete general circulation. The circulation between 

 the horse latitudes is compared to that caused by a stove 

 in a room, and the rest is dismissed in the sentences 

 " Being cooled on account of its great height, the air 

 of the anti-trades slowly settles, some of it coming to the 

 surface at about a third of the distance to the poles. 

 There it spreads out, a part continuing on toward 

 the poles, a part returning to the equator as the 

 trade winds." Given the analogy of the stove, what 

 is the intelligent pupil to make of the "part continuing 

 on towards the poles"? 



Again, in connection with oceanic circulation, we find 

 drift currents satisfactorily accounted for, but the cause 

 of the many currents which cannot be thus explained is 

 simply passed over. In describing the relation of ocean 

 currents to climate, the authors fall into serious error, and 

 the old story of the " Gulf Stream " carrying " one-half 

 as much heat into the Arctic as reaches it from the 

 direct rays of the sun " reappears once more. All the 

 explanation given of the tides is, " When the sun and 

 moon pull upon the earth, the ocean, being a liquid that 

 can be moved, is drawn slightly out of shape." 



The descriptive parts of these books are admirable ; 

 in the volume on the United States especially, the 

 physical features, climate, means of transport, indus- 

 tries and commerce are treated with unfailing interest 

 NO. 1689, VOL. 65] 



and clearness, and there is abundance of illustration and 

 good maps ; but the " physiographic basis " as here set 

 forth —the attempt to account for modern distribution 

 directly from first principles — must suggest to the boy 

 who " sees difficulties " so many questions of which we 

 do not know the answers that he will be apt to distrust 

 the " principles " altogether, while the boy who accepts 

 everything will receive a fatal impression of the sim- 

 plicity of the universe. It is one of the advantages 

 of geography that continual reference can be made, in 

 teaching, to first principles, but the science is still a long 

 way from the point at which a satisfactory text-book 01 

 the kind proposed by the authors can be written. 



ELEMENTARY ZOOLOG Y. 

 A Te.-ct-hook of Zoology. By G. P. Mudge, A.R.C.Sc. 

 Lond. Pp. viii -f4i6; 100 figures and 2 coloured plates. 

 (London : Edward Arnold, 1901.) Price 7.r. (id. 



THIS aid to the study of zoology differs in plan from 

 most books of similar purpose. After a general intro- 

 duction on the scope of biology, which will prove, we fear, 

 a heavy meal for beginners, the author discusses (i) the 

 comparative morphology of vertebrates, illustrated by 

 dogfish, frog and rabbit, and by the lancelct (which has 

 naturally a chapter to itself) ; (2) the morphology of 

 C(i;lomate invertebrates, illustrated by crayfish, cock- 

 roach, freshwater mussel and earthworm ; (3) the struc- 

 ture of Hydra as a type of acoelomate diploblastic 

 invertebrates ; and (4) the structure of Paramoccium and 

 Amruba as types of Protozoa. Then follow chapters on 

 reproduction and development, heredity and variation. 



Mr. Mudge's exposition is clear and accurate, and his 

 terseness is a feat in itself. Perhaps this striving after 

 conciseness has inhibited the author, for while the 

 chapters on heredity and variation, for instance, art- 

 vivid and interesting, there are too many pages in the 

 body of the book which read like dull summaries anil 

 show no individuality of treatment or expression. Surely 

 some individuality was needed to justify the repetition 

 for the «th time of much that may be found in many 

 other books. 



We do not think that Mr. Mudge was wise in his 

 choice of a title—" A Text-book of Zoology "—for this 

 ticket is too big for his wares A text-book of zoology 

 cannot aflord to leave out of consideration birds and 

 reptiles, and half of the classes of invertebrates, or to 

 deal so slightly with bionomics. And while we recognise 

 the value of this new aid to the study of zoology in so far 

 as it forces the student to realise what comparative 

 anatomy means, we doubt whether this lesson is rightly 

 learned when only a fesv types are compared. Thus, to 

 be frank, is there more than practical convenience to 

 justify the time-honoured position of the frog in schemes 

 of comparative morphological study ? .-Xs a cheap corpus 

 vile on which the student may learn to dissect, the frcg 

 is useful— almost indispensable— but as a type for the 

 study of the comparative morphology of vertebrates it is 

 one of the most difficult. The figures in the book are 

 clear and useful, but the prominence given to the coloured 

 diagrams of various circulatory systems seems out ol 

 perspective. 



