April io, 1902J 



NA rURE 



533 



describes the protein granules (first detected by H. 

 Karsten), starch, oil, alkaloids and other contents in a 

 number of examples. The protein granules are stated to 

 arise {eg. in Cecropid) inside special leucoplast-like struc- 

 tures, and elaioplasts are said to occur in the latex of 

 croton. Of inorganic substances, calcium and magnesium 

 are very often met with, but phosphorus, though present 

 in the ash, is not apparently present except in organic 

 compounds. 



The mucilage cells and their contents are also dis- 

 cussed, and the author describes an apparently new sub- 

 stance, which he terms " luteofilin," as occurring 

 extensively in monocotyledons and also in the Lobe- 

 liaceas. A brief account of the aloin receptacles which 

 are found in Aloe soccoirhia, and some of the reactions 

 and properties of their contents ends the volume. 



Cast Iron : a Record of Original Fesearck. By William J. 

 Keep. Pp. XV -I- 225 ; with 117 illustrations. (New 

 York : John Wiley and Sons. London : Chapman 

 and Hall, Ltd., 1902.) Price \os. 6d. 



This volume possesses the distinction, which is yearly 

 becoming less rare, of containing an account of original 

 researches which are directly applicable to industrial 

 work. Mr. Keep has devoted himself to the study of 

 cast iron since 1885, and from time to time has expressed 

 decided opinions regarding the best methods to be em- 

 ployed in foundries. In particular he has advocated the 

 use of tests by which the amount of shrinkage during 

 solidification is ascertained, his contention being that 

 the quality of the metal to be tapped may thus be 

 determined. 



On p. V. a summary of the whole subject is given, so 

 that a busy founder can in five minutes learn the prac- 

 tical results of Mr. Keep's teaching. In order to apply 

 these results in practice, it is desirable also to read pp. 

 155 to 191, but the remainder of the book consists chiefly 

 of the evidence on which the value of the recommenda- 

 tions rests, and is of interest only to those with a taste 

 for science and a desire to understand what they are 

 doing. The shrinkage test gives information mainly as to 

 the percentage of silicon present, an addition of silicon 

 being accompanied by a reduction in the shrinkage, and 

 silicon, the author points out, acting through carbon, is 

 the controlling element in cast iron. 



Those founders who have not followed the course of 

 scientific investigation on cast iron of late years would 

 be well advised to study Mr. Keep's book, even if they 

 do not agree with all that he says. 



Test Papers in General Knowledge. By H. S. Cooke, 

 M.A. Pp. vi + 97. (London : Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 1902). Price is. bd. 

 The author of this book has essayed a difficult task, and 

 one cannot be surprised that he has achieved only a quali- 

 fied success. The papers (eighty-five in number) are all 

 short — too short, perhaps — but certainly do not lack 

 variety. The work is intended for use in higher classes 

 of primary schools, secondary schools and pupil teachers' 

 "centres" ; and the author's suggestion as to the use of 

 the book is, " Each student should be provided with a 

 copy, and a test (or more) should be given to the class 

 one week, the answers of which should be returned the 

 following week ; this would give a fair opportunity of 

 research in books of reference." There is much to be 

 said in favour of such a plan. It may be doubted, how- 

 ever, if some of the knowledge which the students are 

 thus set to obtain is of sufficient value to justify any ex- 

 penditure of time on the attainment thereof It is not 

 easy to see, for example, what useful purpose is served 

 by causing a youth to ascertain the length of time a 

 letter would take to go from London to AIoscow, or the 



NO. 1693, VOL. 65] 



cost of sending a parcel about two pounds weight to 

 Winnipeg, or the price of a 100/. share in the Great 

 Western Railway. Nor is much gained by knowing who 

 wrote certain books unless something is also known of 

 their nature, contents, and purpose. Are any of the 

 pupils for whom the work is intended sufficiently 

 grounded in scientific method to answer such questions 

 as, '■ How did the teaching of Aristotle diflfer from that 

 of Bacon ? '' or can any be expected to " compile {sic') a 

 simple form of a Will?" It is only fair to the author to 

 say that many questions are really admirable, e.g. 

 "What results in history may be traceable to the dis- 

 covery of the New World 'i " Scientific subjects, too, are, 

 on the whole, well treated, and much useful knowledge 

 must result from the efforts to answer thoroughly the 

 questions asked. The general character of the papers, 

 however, is hardly satisfactory from an educational point 

 of view. Too much is made of mere knowledge and too 

 little of the ability to use it. Hence one fears that they 

 will ultimately prove tests of memory rather than of 

 observation and resource, and that instead of "stimu- 

 lating a many-sided interest in the facts of everyday life," 

 the author will produce an irritating curiosity which 

 grows on what it feeds. May we suggest a thorough 

 revision ? The book is worth it. Not only so, but in its 

 present state there are many badly-worded questions and 

 some few serious errors. We may attribute " in statu 

 pupillar/V" and "Carmen Sylv/« " to careless proof 

 reading ; but the inaccuracies in the quotations in papers 

 xi. and xxi.x. (to select two only) are quite unpardonable. 



Class Book of Geology. By Sir Archibald Geikie. Fourth 

 edition. Pp. xxi -I- 454. (London : Macmillan and 

 Co., Ltd., 1902.) Price 5^. 



Sir Archibald Geikie's class-book of geology is 

 likely to be one of those which will survive in the struggle 

 for existence among the numerous handbooks of the 

 subject which have been lately issued. There are many 

 ways of accounting for the frequent appearance of new 

 text-books. One of them, though perhaps not the prin- 

 cipal one, is to be found in the varied requirements of 

 pupils and teachers, and when an elementary work has 

 run to a fourth edition, as in this case, we may fairly 

 assume that it has met a want. 



It is not easy to write a good text-book. This arises 

 sometimes from the difficulty of observing a due sense 

 of proportion all through, notwithstanding that the author 

 is vastly more interested in some branches of the subject 

 than in others, while sometimes it arises from the 

 necessity of bringing before the student many subjects 

 which are still matters of controversy, and the author 

 has either to make positive statements in accordance 

 with what he thinks the best supported theory or deli- 

 cately to hint that doubts exist. 



One reason why this class-book has been so successful 

 is that Sir Archibald has covered all the most important 

 parts of the subject without distracting the reader with 

 controversy. In this he was, of course, much helped by 

 the existence of his larger work, the " Text-Book," to 

 which more advanced students can be referred. 



The most important alterations in this edition are the 

 introduction of descriptions and explanations of the 

 phenomena of tectonic geology, for which his illustrations 

 have been drawn chiefly from America, where these 

 branches of the subject have been followed up with 

 so much zeal and skill, and where recent travel has 

 enabled Sir .Archibald to examine the evidence and 

 discuss the interpretation of the phenomena on the spot 

 with his scientific friends on the other side of the 

 Atlantic. 



May he long enjoy the leisure he has so well earned, 

 and still employ it in keeping his valuable educational 

 and descriptive works up to date. 



