Feb. 9, 1871] 
NATURE 
285 

same time, we are bound to notice what appears a very 
serious defect in the volume. The author has ignored 
recent microscopical research, and instead of giving that 
method a distinct and prominent place in his account of 
the investigation of rocks, he contents himself with the 
old “dry way” and “ wet way” of analysis. In so doing, 
he tacitly confesses himself to be behind his time. His 
compilation, useful as it is, will, we hope, ere long be 
superseded by another, when petrography has had time 
to compose itself again into something like clearness and 
symmetry. In the mean time, the student who wishes to 
go more fully into the matter, will still find Zirkel’s “ Lehr- 
buch” his best guide, though even that valuable manual 
is fast getting out of date ; owing to the great progress 
which the last few years have witnessed in this branch of 
geology. That progress has been largely shared in by 
Zirkel himself, as will be shown in a subsequent paper. 
ARCH. GEIKIE 


OUR BOOK SHELF 
Der Zoologische Garten. Zeitschrift fiir Beobachtung, 
Pflege und Zucht der Thiere. Herausgegeben von Dr. 
F. C. Noll. XI. Jahrgang, 1870. (Frankfort a. M.) 
(London: Williams and Norgate.) 
THE “Zoological Garden” is, as its name imports, a peri- 
odical especially devoted to all that is connected with the 
maintenance of animals in what are commonly called 
“ Zoological Gardens.” Having been founded some ten 
years ago by the Zoological Society of Frankfort-on-the- 
Main, it more especially relates to the affairs and condi- 
tion of the small but well-arranged garden belonging to that 
Society, which is situated in the environs of that free and 
ancient city. It may appear somewhat surprising that a 
journal devoted to a subject of apparently so limited an 
extent can achieve sufficient circulation to command suc- 
cess. But the number of zoological gardens, aquarium 
houses, and similar establishments in Germany, has con- 
siderably increased of late years, and their institution in 
nearly all the principal cities of the Fatherland has been 
very favourably received, so that it is easy to understand 
that a considerable amount of popular interest in these 
subjects has been excited. Hamburg, Cologne, Dresden, 
Berlin, Hanover, and Munich, have all flourishing estab- 
lishments of this description, and although the Zoological 
Garden founded some years ago in Vienna has come to 
an untimely end, yet in every part of what is now the new 
Empire of Germany the prospects of such institutions 
seem to be extremely favourable. But our “Zoological 
Garden” by no means entirely confines its attention to 
animals in captivity. It likewise contains many excellent 
articles relating to the habits of birds and beasts ina 
state of nature, so as to embrace many of the well-known 
attractions of a popular magazine of Natural History. 
Occasionally also more strictly scientific articles, such as 
that of Professor Pagenstecher on the Anatomy of the 
Cape Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus) in the numbers for 
July and August last year, are given, so that the result is 
a zoological miscellany of a very various character. The 
woodcut illustrations are, it is true, perhaps not always in 
the highest style of art, but we have seen many inferior 
in English popular works of Natural History, and they 
have generally the merit of being tolerably correct. To 
such of our readers therefore as are growing weary of the 
“ Zoologist,” and cannot appreciate the learning of the 
“Annals,” we recommend a trial of the“ Zoological 
Garden,” it being pre-supposed, of course, that they under- 
stand the language in which it is written (which in these 
days is a matter of course !), The subscription-price is very 


moderate, amounting only to about 8s. per annum for the 
twelve numbers, and the journal is regularly forwarded 
through the post to this country. Baas 
The Marvels of the Heavens. By Camille Flammarion. 
From the French, by Mrs. Norman Lockyer. With 48 
Illustrations. (London: R. Bentley, 1870.) 
THE French certainly have the art, which we have not, 
of putting science in an attractive form to the popular mind 
—attractive, and yet not at the expense of scientific accu- 
racy. Good service is, therefore, done by the translation 
into easy and graceful English of works like this by M. 
Flammarion. From the very commencement he carries 
the reader with him by his enthusiasm. Instead of starting 
with a bare statement of facts—thatthe Sun is the centre ot 
the solar system, that it is somany hundred thousand miles 
in diameter, and has this, that, and the other planet revolving 
round it at such and such distances, he takes his reader 
out with him, as it were, to behold the heavens on a starry 
night ; explains how it is that we see the sun only during 
a portion of the twenty-four hours; and speaks of the 
arrangement of the stars in clusters and nebulz. Then he 
descends from the stars as a whole to a particular one, 
the Sun, and proceeds to describe in detail the solar 
system. And, throughout, the subject is treated with a 
graceful fancy and a wealth of illustration which make it 
very charming. Old Greek myths and fables of the astro- 
logers, quotations from Byron and Lamartine, from Bryant 
and Victor Hugo, anecdotes of the value of astronomical 
knowledge, are brought in to point the moral and adorn 
the tale, and never appear to come amiss, or to be beside 
the mark. We must say a word about the illustrations, 
which are extremely good. We have never seen any- 
thing that so well recalls to our mind the appearance 
of the heavens through a powerful glass as Fig. 21, 
a part of the constellation of the Swan, as seen through 
the telescope; on the opposite page is placed, by wav of 
contrast, the same seen by the naked eye. Author, 
translator, and artist have combined to produce a book 
which ought to be in the hands of every one who desires 
an introduction to “ The Marvels of the Heavens.” B. 
Geology. By Prof. John Morris, F.G.S., and Prof. T. 
Rupert Jones, F.G.S. First series. Heads of Lectures 
on Geology and Mineralogy, in several courses from 
1866 to 1870, at the Staff and Cadet Colleges, Sand- 
hurst, by T. Rupert Jones, F.G.S. (London: Van 
Voorst, 187¢.) 
THIs book can hardly be called a Manual of Geology ; 
it isi:ather the avant-coureur to the book which is to be 
written presently. It is a series of outlines for a course 
or courses of lectures, furnishing in a brief and concise 
form the heads or texts for any number of geological dis- 
courses which a Science teacher may be called upon to 
give: or the student may take it as his guide to the main 
lines and branches of geological study, along which he 
may have to pursue his readings in preparing himself, 
either alone or with the assistance of a “‘ coach,” to pass 
his “ B.Sc.,” or other examination at any one of the Uni- 
versities. _ Now-a-days, when a man has to coach up so 
many different subjects in so short a time, it is ob- 
vious that, the more handy and concise a book is, 
the more useful will it be in helping to the desired end. 
One thing more seems to us to be needed in order to 
render this book of practical utility to the wznztiated ; it 
is, to give, under each head, references to the authors 
(with chapter and verse) whom the student or teacher 
should consult, to gather more fully what is here only 
hinted at, often in but six words or less. To thvse 
who are already read up in Geology and Palzontology, 
the book is a most useful form of “ Remembrancer,” 
containing besides numberless facts — the key-notes to 
whole discourses on the earth and its past history. 
