66o 



NA TURE 



[October 31, 1907 



volume, edited by Dr. J. Massart, opens with a con- 

 tribution bv him on the subject of irritability in the 

 higher plants. It also contains the instructive essay 

 by Prof. Errera on the primrose, an account by Miss 

 J. W^ry on the attraction of bees by flowers, and an 

 investigation carried out by Dr. A. Jacquemin on the 

 localisation of alkaloids in the Leguminosae. 



OVR BOOK SHELF. 



Les Observaioires astronomique^ et !es Astronomes. 



By P. Stroobant, J. Delvosal, H. Philippot, E. Del- 



porte, and E. Merlin. Pp. vi + 317; with one chart. 



(Brussels: M. Hayez, 112 Rue de Louvain, 1907.) 

 In collecting and publishing the information contained 

 in this volume, Prof. Stroobant and his collaborators 

 have rendered a service of inestimable value to all 

 interested in astronomy. The purpose of the publica- 

 tion is to permit astronomers of everv class to learn 

 readily what is being done in their own line of work, 

 and by whom and where it is being done, and the 

 arrangement of the matter makes this a very simple 

 task. 



In the main list all the known observatories are 

 arranged in alphabetical order, and for each one is 

 given the country wherein it is situated, its latitude, 

 longitude, and altitude, the nature and titles of anv 

 publication it issues, the names of the director and 

 staff, and, finally, a brief resume of the observatory's 

 history, instruments, and work. 



This is followed by a list of astronomical societies 

 arranged in the order of their foundation, a brief 

 statement of particulars concerning each society, such 

 as its meeting place, subscription, number of mem- 

 bers, titles of its publications, &c., being given. The 

 chief astronomical reviews are then similarly treated. 



."Xn alphabetical list, of some 1500 names of indi- 

 vidual astronomers gives page references to the list 

 of observ,atories, which enables one to refer imme- 

 diately to any person named, and find at once his 

 specialities and resources. Then follow a geographical 

 list of all the places referred to, and a list of the 

 astronomical societies and publications of each 

 country. 



The work concludes with a chart of the world, on 

 which the distribution of observatories is shown, and 

 which should be consulted by those who are desirous 

 of founding new observatories. XX'hilst western 

 Europe and the eastern States of the U.S.A. are 

 thickly dotted with observatories, only seven are shown 

 in the whole of Africa. The southern hemisphere 

 and the torrid zone are remarkably deficient in this 

 respect. 



The whole of the work of compilation and publica- 

 tion has been done by the Comite de bibliographie et 

 d'lHudes astronomiques of the Royal Observatory of 

 Belgium. Their names appear on the title page, and 

 they are to be heartily congratulated upon the effi- 

 ciency and expedition with which they have performed 

 their self-imposed task. 



hese- mid Lchrhiich jiir landJich-geiucrblichc Fort- 



hildiingsschiilen. By H. Gehrig, Dr. A. Helm- 



kampf. Dr. Th. Krausbauer, and Fr. Stillcke. Pp. 



vii + 343. (Berlin: B. G. Teubner.) Price 2 marks. 



In Germany, as in England and other industrial 



countries, there is a growing difficulty in keeping 



country lads in the country, and attempts are being 



made to stimulate interest in rural matters by giving 



definite agricultural instruction in certain' of the 



schools. 



The present volume is intended for the Fortbildungs- 

 NO. 1983, VOL. 76] 



schulen, continuation schools at which attendance is 

 compulsory for two or three years after leaving the 

 elementary school. Like other readers in use at these 

 schools, it contains literary and patriotic sections in 

 addition to the purely technical matter. The book 

 opens with a few poems and short prose pieces in 

 praise of a country life, and exalting the husband- 

 man's calling; towards thj end comes the section 

 headed " Deutschland iiber alles," describing some 

 of the srlories of the Fatherland. 



The technical part covers a very wide range. Some 

 of the readings deal with economic questions, cooper- 

 ative societies and banks, liquidation of inortgages, the 

 legal position of the workman with regard to holi- 

 days, taxes, &c. Others are hygienic, and give rules 

 for bathing, advice about fresh air and tuberculosis, 

 and first aid to the injured. The purely agricultural 

 part occupies about a quarter of the volume, and is 

 distinctly practical. Useful hints on the management 

 of farm stock are given, together with general ac- 

 counts of soils, crops and manures. There is also a 

 collection of proverbs dealing with husbandry that will 

 help the pupil fix in his mind the instruction he has 

 received. .So far the book is very good, both in con- 

 ceotion and in execution. But we are not quite clear 

 why the authors should have attempted accounts of 

 apparently extraneous matters like the metallurgy of 

 copper and steel, the theory of the microscope and of 

 the dynamo. The treatment is necessarily vague and 

 general, and the soace might well have been utilised 

 for a fuller development of things falling clearly within 

 the scope of the book. 



However, a good deal will depend on the teacher. 

 If he is an enthusiastic countryman he will find the 

 book very useful ; if not, it mav prove rather dull. 

 Whether a reader of this sort will really attract boys 

 to agriculture remains to be seen; the result of the 

 experiment will be watched with great interest by those 

 in this country who are trying to solve the same 

 problem. E. J. R. 



La Houille verte. By Henri Bresson. Pp. xxii + 278. 



(Paris: H. Dunod "et E. Pinat, 1906.) 

 The title of this work, if literally translated, signifies 

 " green coal," and a word of explanation is neces- 

 sary as to what this combination of words implies. 

 The word " houille " in this sense is intended to 

 convey the idea of energy, more particularly that due 

 to waterfalls and rivers, and the qualifying adjective 

 " verte," as opposed to " blanche," indicates that the 

 sources of the energy are the rivers and watercourses 

 to the exclusion of snow- and glacial-fed torrents. 



A book with such a title might be an engineering 

 work or a statistical record; in the present case the 

 latter is the more correct description. Throughout 

 the volume the scientific information is scanty and 

 very elementary. A large part is taken up with a 

 chronicle of the utilisation of water power in the 

 various departments of France; this part comprises 

 127 pages out of a total of 27!?. The first half is 

 devoted to " G^>n^ralit(?s et Theories," but it must 

 be confessed that the theories are not very serious, 

 and that the generalities are the more prominent. 



\ large quantity of statistical information is con- 

 tained in the last fifteen or twenty pages, in which 

 several tables arc given showing the volumes of the 

 various rivers and the numbers of hydro-electric in- 

 stallations. These tables will probably be of more 

 interest to the serious student of the subject than all 

 the rest of the book. 



The illustrations are fairly numerous, and consist 

 chiefly of landscape scenes ; they help to make the 

 book appear lighter, but hardly serve any other pur- 

 pose. 



