January 20, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



109' 



phism of a group witli itself, also a very recent 

 notion, is given a full chapter. The scene then 

 shifts to the graphical representation of groups, 

 exploited by Klein in his treatment of the auto- 

 morphic functions, and treated separately by 

 Dyck, whose methods are here employed. 

 Cayley's color groups also receive attention. 

 A chapter follows on the linear group, following 

 Jordan's classical discussion. Finally, Sylow's 

 theorem and its derivatives are applied to the 

 determination of the composition of groups 

 whose order are resolved into prime factors. 



The book concludes with a useful trilingual 

 table of equivalent technical terms and a still 

 more useful Index. The publishers have done 

 their full duty ; the type is large and clear, and 

 the paper gives a good impression. The text 

 would have been improved by the introduction 

 of descriptive section headings, and frequently 

 the reader is not kept comfortably informed of 

 what the author has in view, and must suspend 

 judgment for a too lengthy interval. 



The small public to which such a work ap- 

 peals makes it unlikely that books on the theory 

 of groups should ever become very numerous. 

 It is fortunate, therefore, that in Professor Burn- 

 side's treatise we have a work of genuine and 

 permanent value from which many a future 

 student may draw wholesome inspiration. 



F. N. Cole. 



Elements of Sanitary Engineering. By Mans- 

 field Merriman. John Wiley & Sons. 

 1898. 



The book opens with an interesting and, for a 

 student, instructive series of historical notes. 

 This is followed by a section dealing with ' clas- 

 sification of disease,' wherein maybe found the 

 novel proposition that ' disease is normal aud 

 health ideal — ' a view that will call forth much 

 opposition. 



The illustrations distinguishing between con- 

 tagion and infection are good, but the sugges- 

 tion that goitre is probably due to the use of 

 limestone water is hardly warranted ; for, were 

 it a fact, the hard waters of southern England 

 should produce the disease abundantly. 



An excellent and timely statement is given 

 in the table on page 17, showing how much 

 more serious is consumption than sundry other 



diseases against which we take far greater pains 

 to guard. 



The relation of filth to disease is well put, 

 and the illustrations are striking. The chapter 

 on ' drinking water and disease ' is in terse 

 form, suitable for class-room work, but the re- 

 marks concerning the Hamburg cholera epi- 

 demic need to be supplemented by a map of 

 the city, in order to grasp fully what may be 

 learned from that instructive outbreak. 



The book is evidently intended for use as a 

 student's text-book, and excellent questions are 

 inserted at frequent intervals, which require the 

 student to make use of a reference library. 

 This is a very valuable feature, aud one but 

 rarely found. There is, unfortunately, no 

 index. M. 



Bash Fruits : A Horticultural Monograph of Rasp- 

 berries, Blackberries, Dewberries, Currants, 

 Oooseberries and other Shrub-like Fruits. By 

 Feed. W. Card, Professor of Horticulture, 

 Rhode Island College of Agriculture. The 

 Macmillan Company. 1898. Pp. xii + 537- 

 Price, $1.50. 



Under this concise and somewhat descrip- 

 tive title another book is added to the list 

 upon small fruits, from which, in this instance, 

 are excluded the grapes, strawberries and cran- 

 berries. 



The contents are divided into three parts, 

 namely, (I.) General Considerations, (II.) The 

 Brambles aud (III.) The Groselles. The last 

 name is adopted from the French, includes both 

 the currants and gooseberries, and is a con- 

 venient term as a heading for a book division, 

 but will scarcely be of much service elsewhere. 

 Under brambles, of course, the red rasp- 

 berries, black raspberries, blackberries and 

 dewberries are considered each with its sepa- 

 rate chapter. 



Part I. deals with the consideration of loca- 

 tion, fertilizers, planting, tillage tools, pruning, 

 propagation, thinning, spraying, picking, 

 packing and marketing of fruit, with a few 

 closing pages upon the methods of crossing 

 and the results of such blending of the varieties 

 and species. 



Many of the above-mentioned points are 

 again more specifically treated under the chap- 



