Maech 3, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



331 



English frogs have the tongue ' bifid at the 

 tip,' and breathe in an uncommonly awkward 

 manner. "When the frog breathes it fills the 

 mouth with air ; the mouth is then closed and 

 the external nares, while the muscles forming 

 the floor of the mouth force the contained air 

 into the lungs " (p. 80). In the tadpole, respi- 

 ration is carried on by a ' free flow of oxygen 

 containing water ovei- the gills.' The adult 

 frogs are said to have ' two first vertebrEe, ' 

 from which the student infers that they are 

 double headed. On p. 103 the author says: 

 " The skeleton of the fore limb consists of the 

 pectoral girdle and of the limb which articulates 

 with it." The student is left to wonder which 

 of the two limbs enjoys this distinction and why 

 the other is not equally favored. 



Nothing is said about geographical distribu- 

 tion ; sponges are nowhere mentioned ; in the 

 chapter on histology there is no figure or de- 

 scription of bone, no figure of nerve cells or 

 fibers, of striated muscle fibers, of glandular 

 structures, nor of adipose tissue. There is no 

 index. Most of the figures are good, but thei'e 

 are not enough to make certain of the subjects 

 clear to beginners. 



There would be no excuse for giving Mr. 

 Beddard's zoology an extended notice were it 

 not that the scientific prominence of its author 

 and name of its publishers are likely to carry 

 much weight and to lead to its introduction into 

 American schools in the place of other and 

 better books, and this should not happen until 

 it has been given a thorough and radical re- 

 vision. 



Chaeles Wright Dodge. 



University of Rochester. , 



Laboratory Exercises in Anatomy and Physi- 

 ology. By James Edward Peabody, A.M., 

 Instructor in Biology in the High School for 

 Boys and Girls, New York City. New York, 

 Henry Holt & Co. 1898. Pp. x + 79. 

 In view of the large amount of instruction in 

 physiology that is given in secondary schools 

 and the large number of text-books that exist, 

 it is surprising how few attempts have been 

 made to treat the subject practically by the 

 preparation of laboratory directions. And the 

 few attempts, although in several cases excel- 



lent, are, without exception, inadequate. The 

 immediate cause of this state of things is prob. 

 ably the lack of a demand by teachers for aids 

 of this kind ; and this lack of demand is prob- 

 ably to be traced to a lack of realization on the 

 part of the majority of the teachers, themselves 

 imperfectly trained in this respect, of the ad- 

 vantages of the practical method. Not a few 

 teachers, however, have longed for help in 

 endeavoring to raise the standard of instruction 

 in this branch from its present alcoholic and 

 narcotic condition, and such progressive ones 

 will heartily welcome Mr. Peabody's book. 



The book is apparently intended for high- 

 school classes. Among the subjects treated are 

 the human and mammalian skeleton, the 

 muscles, the chemical testing of foods, diges- 

 tion, absorption, the heart, the blood and its 

 circulation, oxidation, respiration, the skin, 

 the kidney, excretion, touch, taste, smell, 

 yeast and bacteria. Directions for the use of 

 the microscope and a list of apparatus and 

 chemicals required for the exercises are added. 

 The book is interleaved with blank pages for 

 notes and is intended to be placed in the hands 

 of the pupil. The latter is given simple di- 

 rections for experimenting and, instead of 

 being told what to observe, is asked concerning 

 the results that follow. In this respect the book 

 is in accord with the best of the practical guides 

 in other departments of science. " The ques- 

 tions * * * have been framed with the object 

 of leading the student to seek the facts /rom the 

 material itself. The student should be trained 

 especially to distinguish in the experiments ob- 

 served results from the inferences that may be 

 drawn from those results." This admirable 

 intention is well carried out. To illustrate the 

 care with which it is done one instance may be 

 cited. After giving directions for making and 

 using the common bell-jar apparatus to demon- 

 strate the action of the diaphragm and lungs, 

 the author asks the pertinent questions: "In 

 what respects does this model illustrate the 

 process of inhaling and exhaling air in our own 

 bodies ? In what respects does the model fail 

 to illustrate the process of respiration ?" 



The book is preeminently a guide to the study 

 of human physiology, and a large number of 

 the experiments and observations are to be 



