422 
NATURE 
[JUNE 27, 1912 
tons of peat, so that as a substitute for coal the 
peat would suffice for only 37°4 years. 
(2) Dalmatia is not a country of flowery 
meadows and shady forests, but Prof. Adamovié 
has succeeded in producing a series of very at- 
tractive pictures of its vegetation by means of pen 
and camera. “‘The majestic beech, the shade- 
giving maple, the fragrant lime, the trembling 
aspen, the giant poplars, the noble pines, and the 
gloomy firs, and especially the gay meadows with 
all their wealth of many-coloured flowers disappear 
entirely from the wild shores of the Adriatic.” 
But the absence of all these charms in scenery is 
compensated for by the presence of a fullness of 
natural beauties of a peculiar character. 
The principal attraction of Dalmatian vegeta- 
tion is the rich development of the essentially 
Mediterranean flora, “consisting largely of ever- 
green elements bearing brilliantly coloured flowers 
and filling the air with aromatic fragrance.” The 
climate is so mild that vegetation is never at a 
standstill, and there are characteristic flowers of all 
seasons. The author opens with an introduction 
on the conditions of vegetable life in relation to 
geographical position, climate, environment, &c., 
followed by sketches of the natural associations or 
formations. 
There is also a chapter on the economic 
vegetable products of the country, both wild and 
cultivated. The cultivation of the grape-vine is at 
the present time the most extensive and the most 
important industry of Dalmatia, both on the main- 
land and in the islands. From the earliest times, 
the author asserts, Dalmatia has been essentially 
a wine-producing country, and it is now almost 
the only country in which the original varieties 
still partially survive. Some further highly 
interesting details of this industry are given. 
Altogether this is a most interesting little book, 
effectively illustrated, on a small scale. The 
illustrations are partly scenic, and partly of plants 
or parts of plants, natural size. 
(3) The English of the title of Dr. K. Guenther’s 
book is: “Introduction to the Tropics: Expe- 
riences, Observations, and Considerations of a 
Naturalist in Ceylon.” It is a plain narrative of 
a six months’ trip to and through Ceylon written 
in an easy style, intelligible and interesting to 
readers of little knowledge in natural history. 
Indeed, it may be described as an excellent supple- 
ment to the ordinary guide-book, containing much 
useful practical information in addition to observa- 
tions on the physical features, natural productions, 
peoples, government and history of the island. 
The personal element is, perhaps, unnecessarily 
pronounced; and there is little real novelty. Com- 
NO. 2226, voL. 89] 
paring the vegetation of Europe with that of 
Ceylon, the author arrives at the well-known 
appreciation that there is a glory of the temperate 
flora, and another glory of the tropical flora, and 
that each has beauties and features finding no 
exact counterpart in the other. Dr. Guenther is. 
an enthusiast in nearly all that relates to Ceylon, 
which he justly appraises as a gem in the British 
Empire; and he was greatly struck by the tactful 
administration of justice practised by the rulers in 
cases of native disputes and misdemeanours. He 
also describes the eating and drinking, including 
the instead of the breakfast—an 
important difference! The illustrations, though 
on a very reduced scale, are elegant and chiefly 
scenic, in which vegetation is the principal feature. 
W. B. H. 
“Dreakfeast ” 
BOOKS ON BIO-CHEMICAL SUBJECTS. 
(1) Modern Theories of Diet and their Bearing 
upon Practical Dietetics. By Dr. Alexander 
Bryce. Pp. xv+368. (London: Edward 
Arnold, 1912.) Price 7s. 6d. net. 
(2) Principles of Human Nutrition: a Study in 
Practical Dietetics. By W. H. Jordan. Pp. 
the Macmillan Com- 
xxi+450. (New York: 
pany; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 
1912.) Price 7s. 6d. net. 
(3) Milk and the Public Health. By Dr. William G. 
Savage. Pp. xviili+459. (London: Macmillan 
and Co., Ltd., 1912.) Price ros. net. 
(4) Probleme der physiologischen und patho- 
logischen Chemie. By Prof. Dr. Otto von 
Firth. 1. Band—‘‘Gewebschemie.”’ Pp. xv+ 
634. (Leipzig: F.C. W. Vogel, 1912.) \ Price: 
16 marks. 
(1) R. BRYCE has written a very readable 
i) treatise, in which the principles of diet 
are explained in a simple way. The early chapters 
on metabolism deal with the subject from the 
physiological point of view, but those that follow 
discuss the matter from the practical aspect, and 
will doubtless attract more attention. Among 
other subjects discussed are the various “fads” 
current at the present day, such as Chittendenism, 
Fletcherism, vegetarianism, the “no breakfast ” 
and fasting cures. Each of these is examined in 
its turn in the cold light of scientific knowledge. 
Each may have its special value in certain cases. 
Dr. Bryce is not an extremist either way; his 
main theme is, however, to urge greater sim- 
plicity in diet than is at present practised by well- 
to-do people, and his attitude towards those who 
believe in Chittenden’s views or are vegetarians 
is distinctly sympathetic. 
