February 17, 1910] 



NA TURE 



455 



is emphasised by new evidence from North America, 

 in addition to that known from Cape Colony. A 

 brilliant suggestion of Carvill Lewis becomes thus 

 fully justified. 



In the fine chapter on the geological history of the 

 colony, the influence of Prof. W. M. Davis (p. 451) 

 now becomes justly manifest. There was little to 

 modify, however, in Dr. Rogers's original review of 

 the great processes that have made South Africa. His 

 suggestion that the S-bends of the rocky gorges in the 

 south are the descendants of meanders formed when 

 the rivers ran over a great plain remains happily 

 unaltered. If South African geologists have learnt 

 willingly from friends whom they invited in 1905 to the 

 coast-ranges and the veld, it will be long before those 

 friends can repay what they themselves received. The 

 guidance then given by Dr. Rogers is renewed and 

 extended in the present admirable volume. 



G. A. J. C. 



OVR BOOK SHELF. 

 The Roiitance of Modern Chemistry. By Dr. J. C. 



Philip. Pp. 348. (London : Seeley and Co., Ltd., 



1910.) Price 5^. 

 .According to its subtitle, this book is "a description 

 in non-technical language of the diverse and wonder- 

 ful ways in which chemical forces are at work, and 

 of their manifold application in modern life." After 

 some prefatory historical and theoretical matter, the 

 reader is provided with a wealth of brightly-written 

 and interesting information about fuel and its uses, 

 explosives, low- temperature and high - temperature 

 appliances, and spectroscopy. Modern phases of 

 agricultural chemistry and of industries relating to 

 sugar, starch, fats, and oils are discussed, and the con- 

 cluding chapters give well-chosen illustrations of 

 applied chemical science in relation to the adulteration 

 of food, the utilisation of by-products, coal-tar pro- 

 ducts, large-scale electrolysis, solutions, crystals, and 

 industrial catalysis. The last chapter illustrates 

 vividly the part that "accident" has played in 

 chemical discovery. 



The most formidable difficulty in writing a book 

 of this kind is to get the reader sufficiently acquainted 

 with the elements of chemical fact and reasoning to 

 enable him to understand the applications. Dr. Philip 

 has adopted a light treatment and allowed himself a 

 free use of imagery of an anthropomorphic kind, 

 which will probably make an impression. To a 

 reader who knows just a little chemistry the interest 

 from the beginning of chapter vi. to the end of the 

 book (chapter xxx.) will be kept fully alive, and as 

 the body of information contained in these chapters 

 is just that which is apt to be omitted from school 

 or evening-class courses of formal chemistry, the book 

 has a very distinct place of usefulness. It is written 

 ^vith an unimpeachable knowledge of scientific 

 chemistry, a very unacademic appreciation and 

 knowledge of practical problems, and a certain 

 amount of human nature, which make the best pos- 

 sible equipment for the author of a book intended 

 to popularise science. The chapter on solutions is 

 particularly worthv of mention as an example of 

 admirable exposition. There are twenty-nine excel- 

 lent illustrations, which have been selected with care 

 and at considerable trouble, but a long accumulat- 

 ing detestation of the very names stalactite and 

 I stalagmite would have reconciled the present writer 

 to a suppression of the three plates dealing with 

 these bedridden natural and etymological phenomena. 



A. S. 

 NO. 2103, VOL. 82] 



Havivard's Botanist's Pocket-book. 13th edition, 

 revised and enlarged. By G. C. Druce. Pp. xliv4- 

 280. (London : George Bell and Sons, 1909.) 

 Price 4i. 6d. net. 

 The " Botanist's Pocket-book " is well known as a 

 handv companion of a convenient size for the pocket, 

 and containing sufficient data to determine ordinary 

 plants in the field. The original work, published in 

 1872, was enlarged in 1886 by the addition of an 

 appendix, but, as inany changes have recently been 

 rendered necessarv, the publishers have wisely author- 

 ised Mr. G. C. Druce to make a thorough revision. 

 The general plan remains the same, but there is 

 evidence of Mr. Druce 's emendations from the first 

 page to the last. Notably, the synopsis of the natural 

 orders has been corrected, the arrangement of the 

 genera has been altered, and both genera and species 

 have been carefully revised to incorporate the con- 

 clusions of present-day authorities and present the 

 nomenclature in accordance with the recommenda- 

 tions of the Vienna Congress. 



The revision gives all species and varieties, even 

 certain hvbrids," except for the genera Hieracium, 

 Euphrasia', and Rubus. .Although the identification 

 of many critical species and varieties will not be 

 decided 'in the field or even on the scanty data sup- 

 plied, botanists will not cavil at the decision to in- 

 clude them, especially as it has not necessitated an 

 increase in the size of the volume. It is not apparent 

 why the family names Lamiacese and Graminaceas 

 have been coined, while the substitution of Pinacea 

 for Conifers to include Taxus cannot be accepted; 

 further, it would have been less perplexing to many 

 botanists to find the nomenclature if not the sequence 

 of the last edition of Babington's " Manual." Doubt- 

 less the last point has received the consideration of 

 the leviser, who has rendered another service to 

 botany by placing on record his conceptions based on 

 many' years' constant study of British plants. 

 Yorkshire Type Ammonites. Edited by Mr. S. S. 

 Buckman. ' Part I. Pp. i-xii, i-ii, plates 12, and 

 descriptions Nos. 1-8. (London : \V. Wesley and 

 Son, 1909.) Price 35. 3tJ. net. 

 It is intended that this work shall appear in about 

 sixteen parts. The object of the publication is to 

 give an adequate pictorial and critical revision of the 

 type-specimens of Jurassic ammonites from York- 

 shire which were unsatisfactorily described or figured 

 bv the earlv authorities Young and Bird, John 

 Phillips and' Martin Simpson. The treatment is 

 similar to that in the well-known " Pateontologia 

 Universalis," and the excellent illustrations in collo- 

 type process are from photographs of the actual 

 specimens, mainly by Mr. J. \V . Tutcher. In addi- 

 tion to a reprint of the original diagnoses, supple- 

 mented by useful critical remarks, the editor has 

 supplied a clearlv arranged and concise account of the 

 comprehensive system of terminology which has been 

 adopted bv those who have made the most advanced 

 studies of ammonite-development. He has also added 

 some original and suggestive remarks on the 

 cyclical development of the shell-form. In another 

 section of the work there are useful notes on generic 

 names. Twelve plates are issued in the present part, 

 with text relating to eight species, and the introduc- 

 tory matter is uncompleted. This work will prove 

 indispensable, not only to those who take a serious 

 interest in Yorkshire geology, but to all students of 

 Jurassic ammonites. 



KUmatOi^raphie von Osterreich. Part IV. Tirol und 



Vorariberg. By Dr. H. v. Ficlver. Pp. vi + 162. 



f\'ienna : Gerold und Komp, 1909.) 



This volume forms part iv. of the valuable handbook 



on the climatology of .Austria which is being issued by 



