;i6 



NA rURE 



[August 6, 1896 



section of the work being devoted to the legislation con- 

 cerning the animal in question, while the fourth bears 

 the mysterious title of " The Hare and her Trod." From 

 reading the text, we infer that " trod " has something to 

 do with poaching, although of its precise signification 

 we are still in ignorance. 



In the preface to the series the editor makes it to be 

 understood that the natural history of the animals form- 

 ing the subjects of the different volumes will be treated 

 somewhat fully. We are, however, very doubtful whether 

 the more or less discursive gossip communicated by Mr. 

 Macpherson is entitled to be regarded as natural history 

 at all. There e.xist, it may be remembered, as models 

 for popular monographs of any particular animal, the 

 little volume on "The Horse," by Sir W. H. Flower, 

 and the more pretentious work of Prof Mivart on "The 

 Cat"; and the author would, we think, have done well 

 to have followed somewhat on those lines. Instead of 

 having done this, we are not even told that the hare is a 

 rodent, much less do we learn anything about its relatives 

 of the same genus, and the points in which these latter 

 differ. Beyond a few observations as to its occurrence 

 in the different counties of Britain, and certain variations 

 in colour and size assumed by the animal in some 

 European countries, we are left absolutely in the dark 

 as to the geographical range of the common hare — a 

 subject which well merits full consideration in a work 

 of this nature. Throughout the first chapter we find 

 no mention of either the generic or specific names of 

 the hare ; a matter which might be passed without com- 

 ment, were-it not that on page 12 both scientific names 

 of an unimportant parasite are introduced without any 

 possible advantage. When, however, we reach page 30, 

 we find mention for the first time of the genus Lepus in 

 connection with two American species ; the reader — if 

 not a naturalist — being left to find out for himself 

 whether the common hare is or is not a member of the 

 same genus. What might be the aforesaid uninstructed 

 reader's view as to the zoological position of the rabbit, 

 we dare not hazard a guess ! 



Such observations as are given on the natural history 

 Otf the hare, appear to relate chiefly to its breeding habits, 

 its marvellous speed, and the depredations it commits on 

 farm and garden crops. Although doubtless accurate 

 enough in this way, they are very far from forming any- 

 thing like a complete history of the animal, and are too 

 discursive for our own taste, even in a popular book. 

 Nothing in the way of new facts appears to be given, 

 although this may well be e.\cused. 



As may be inferred from what we have written, the 

 whole of the natural history portion of the work is from 

 the pen of Mr. Macpherson. Several authors— among 

 whom may be named the Hon. G. Lascelles and Mr. 

 C. Richardson— are, however, responsible for the sport- 

 ing sections ; whi e the chapter on cookery has been 

 written by Colonel K. Herbert. Whatever may be its 

 shortcomings from a zoological point of view, the work, 

 so far as we can judge, from the sporting aspect is in 

 every way admirable, and it ought specially to become 

 an invaluable companion to the country gentleman. The 

 numerous fine illustrations make the volume excellent 

 from an artistic point of view. 



R L 



NO. 1397, VOL. 54J 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Gnindrisi cincr Geschichte der Naturwissenschdflcn. 

 \'on Dr. Friedrich Dannemann. I. Band. Erliiuterte 

 Abschnitte aus cler Werken hervorragender Natur- 

 forscher. Pp. xii + 375- (Leipzig : Wilhelm Engel- 

 mann, i8g6.) 

 THii idea upon which this book is constructed is an 

 admirable one. By means of extracts and translations 

 from the writings of great philosophers and investigators, 

 a panorama of scientific history is presented in a most 

 attracti\e form. Beginning with Aristotle and his 

 Natural History, the author passes before the reader 

 in historical succession the works and thoughts of Archi- 

 medes, Copernicus, Galileo, Gilbert, Kepler, Newton, 

 Huyghens, Laplace, Lavoisier, Blumenbach, Cuvier, 

 Darwin, and the host of other great thinkers and workers, 

 who have helped to build up the edifice of scientific 

 knowledge. To do this, Ostwald's excellent series of 

 " Klassiker der exakten Wissenschaften " have been 

 largely utilised. But we hasten to remark that the present 

 volume does not merely consist of extracts and illustrations 

 from series of reprints. A biographical note precedes the 

 story in which each investigator tells of his work, and help- 

 ful editorialnotes are distributed throughout the book. 



The work will be completed in two volumes, and we 

 look forward with pleasure to the publication of the 

 second one. The best text-book is the one which brings 

 the student into close contact with the investigator, and 

 thus creates in him a spirit of emulation. Dr. Danne- 

 mann's volume shows how this kindred feeling can 

 be developed ; therefore we welcome it as a valuable 

 addition to scientific literature. 



The Bioloi^ical Problem of To-day. Preformation or 

 Epigenesis ? The Basis of a Theory of Organic 

 DcTc/opiiioif. By Prof Dr. Oscar Hertwig. Author- 

 ised translation by P. Chalmers Mitchell, M.A. Pp. 

 xix+148. (London: William Heinemann, 1896.) 

 The German edition of Dr. Hertwig's discursive treatise 

 — " Praformation oder Epigenese .'" — was so fully re- 

 viewed in these columns shortly after it appeared (vol. 

 li. p. 265, 1895), that it is unnecessary to state again the 

 criticism contained in it of Weismann's theory of the germ- 

 plasm and doctrine of determinants, or to go over Dr. 

 Hertwig's own theory of the development of organisms. 

 The fact that this translation is an authorised one, and 

 that it bears the name of Mr. Chalmers Mitchell, is a 

 sufficient guarantee for biologists that the arguments set 

 forth in the original edition are faithfully reproduced. 

 In a lucid introduction, Mr. Chalmers Mitchell states the 

 positions taken by Weismann and Hertwig, and points 

 to the issue involved. This statement, and the glossary 

 of technical terms, will be very helpful to readers who 

 have but a general idea of the matters on which the 

 argument turns. The German words " Erbgleich " and 

 " Erbungleich," which Mr. Bourne proposed to translate 

 isocleronomic and anisocleronomic, have been rendered 

 by the words "doubling" and " difierentiating." The 

 word " rudiment " has been used as the equivalent of 

 "Anlage," and most biologists will agree that it well 

 covers the meaning of the German word. 



Every one interested in the problems of heredity will 

 be grateful for this translation of a very important treatise. 



The X-Rays. By Arthur Thornton, M.A. Pp. 63. 



25 illustrations. (Bradford: Percy Lund and Co., Ltd. 



1896.) 

 This slender brochure contains a general statement of 

 the nature of sound, light, electrical vibrations, and 

 electrical discharges through gases, together with brief 

 instructions for observing and photographing Rbntgen 

 phenomena, and an explanation of the theories concern- 

 ing the nature of Rcintgen rays. For readers desirous 

 of obtaining an idea of the prominent features of 

 Rontgen's discovery, the book may be recommended. 



