NA rURE 



[May 7, 1896 



many touches of dry humour. This part of the work is 

 of high value, as the notes on the country, the sketches 

 of the life of the people, and the account of the incidents 

 of the march, enable one to form a clear and true idea 

 of the present condition of British East Africa. 



The second group of chapters (Nos. x., xi., xii., xviii. 

 and XX.) are devoted to the discussion of general topics. 

 These, taken in order of length, and beginning with the 

 longest, deal with transport, meteorology and climate, 

 outfit, botany and geology. The great length at which 

 transport is treated, and the brevity of the chapter on 

 botany, remind us of the main disappointment of the 

 book. It is entitled "A Naturalist in Mid-Africa"; but, 

 unfortunately, there is in it more about politics than about 

 nature. The author is the only botanical expert who has 

 travelled in British East .'\frica since Hildebrandt's 

 journey to Ukamba, in 1877, and hence results of the 

 highest importance might be expected from his labours. 

 The chapter on botany is devoted to an attempt to 

 explain the present distribution of the Africa floras. He 

 assumes first, that in Miocene times a sea stretched 

 " across the whole of the desert country which now ex- 

 tends from Beluchistan to the Atlantic, between Morocco 

 and Senegal." But it is practically certain «that no such 

 sea has existed since at least Palaeozoic times. The second 

 assumption is a use of Korner's thermal constants, to 

 which the author appeals to prohibit the movement of 

 plants along certain directions, and to produce variation 

 by a factor which is almost the same as Romanes' 

 physiological selection. He tells us that in the Victoria 

 Nyanza region, "the rainy season is from October to 

 April. It follows from this that the plants there could 

 not have come from the Congo area, for their climate is 

 a very wet one, and their rainy season is from .April to 

 October." 



If we are not always converted to Mr. Scott Elliot's 

 theories, we always enjoy his sketches of wild life and 

 of nature. He is seen at his best as an observer. 

 The spirit of the true naturalist comes out in his sketches 

 of life in the woods and on the hillside ; and some of his 

 observations, such as on the original limits of the Victoria 

 Nyanza and on the shapes of the valleys of the upper 

 streams of the Nile basin, are of great interest and value. 

 He is always happier when speaking of plants and 

 describing the habits of animals, than when dealing with 

 men. Mr. Scott Elliot takes things sadly, and his quiet 

 humour brings into relief the spirit of sadness that per- 

 vades the book. He draws a dismal picture of the con- 

 ditions of life with a small expedition in Equatorial 

 Africa ; and then remarks that on his return people 

 always asked him, "Did you enjoy yourself?" He 

 appears to have been ill-used during his expedition by 

 the officials of both the British East Africa Company and 

 of the German territories. He repeatedly complains that 

 naturalists at home are very inconsiderate of the diffi- 

 culties of collectors. He grieves that his meteorological 

 notes are of little service, for, as usual, " in the interval 

 between my departure and return, quite new instruments 

 and observations were found to be absolutely essential." 

 In his dedication he describes his Ijook as the "result of 

 a most inconvenient love of botany." In his preface he 

 regrets that he cannot use the map of Ruwenzori pre- 

 pared from his materials by the Geographical Society, 

 NO. I3S.-I, VOL. 54] 



" as several inaccuracies were retained in deference to a 

 more recognised authority than myself." He deplores 

 that " insects are usually collected by travellers, but 

 it is difficult to obtain any information about them in this 

 country." Mr. Scott Elliot's complaint appears to be that 

 the collections of English travellers are not described as 

 thoroughly or as well as those of Germans, and that in 

 consequence there is little inducement to Englishmen to 

 undertake scientific exploration. 



There are so few men willing to run the risks and spend 

 their money in this work, that we greatly hope that Mr. 

 Scott Elliot's complaints are not to be taken as proof of 

 a widespread evil. British naturalists have exceptional 

 opportunities for obtaining rich harvests of material from 

 abroad ; but owing to the neglect of systematic zoology 

 and botany in our educational centres, the number of 

 trained labourers who can work at them is far too few. 

 The loss to science is no doubt very serious ; but as it is 

 impossible for a single collector to collect everything, a 

 traveller can protect himself by devoting his attention to 

 groups in which he knows that his materials will not be 

 wasted. 



ANAL 1 'TICAL C HEM IS TR Y. 

 Analytical Clicinistry. By N. Menschutkin. Translated 

 from the third German edition by James Locke. 

 Pp. xii + 512. (London: Macmillan and Co., 1895.) 



THERE is, perhaps, hardly any branch of chemistry 

 so overstocked with text-books as that of analysis. 

 In the work before us, however, the subject is presented 

 in such a clear and original manner, that it can hardly 

 fail to become as popular in this country as in Germany, 

 where it has already reached a third edition. 



In the preface the author states that although general 

 and analytical chemistry are usually commenced together, 

 yet, in his opinion, the study of the former should always 

 precede that of the latter, the best order of attack being J 

 general, analytical, organic, and finally physical chemistry. | 

 In view of the difference of opinion in this country as to 

 the best lines to follow in the elementary teaching of 

 chemistry, the following remarks of Prof Menschutkin 

 are of sufficient interest to quote in full. 



" The student cannot rightly turn to analytical 

 chemistry until he has obtained a thorough preparation 

 in the general science ; and his knowledge of the latter 

 is measured, not by the number of single and isolated 

 facts with which he is familiar, but by the clearness with 

 which he understands the fundamental chemical phe- 

 nomena and theories. For these reasons I strongly 

 advise the beginner not to devote himself too quickly to 

 analytical chemistry, and my advice is justified by the 

 character which its study must assume if it is to be of 

 value." 



Rather more than half of the book deals with qualitative 

 analysis. The metals are grouped, as usual, according ■ 

 to the properties and modes of formation of their sul- \ 

 phides. Under the heading " General reactions," the 

 corresponding compounds of all the methods of a group 

 are given, and then, as "Special reactions," follow the 

 properties of the chief compounds of each element 

 used in analysis. Especial stress is laid upon the fact 

 that every analytical reaction depends upon definite con- J 

 ditions, which must be known and fulfilled for the sue-- | 



