276 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 713 



Bei den ersteren wachat die Sehneoke immer 

 weiter canal-artig aus (Ductua cochlearis) und 

 erfalirt sehliesslicli bei Crooodiliem und Viigeln 

 eine Kriimmung sowie eine sohwache Spiraldreh- 

 img. Hand in Hand damit geiit eine immer 

 schiirfere Diflferenzierung der Lamina (Mem- 

 brana) basilaris und der Papilla acustiea basil- 

 aris. Beide streeken sich melir und mebr in die 

 Lange, und zugleich ist eine Scala tympani und 

 vestibuli sehon deutlioh angelegt.^ 



It is barely possible that the author had in 

 mind the lack of the arches of Corti in the 

 auditory apparatus of birds. This is admitted 

 by comparative neurologists;' but a well- 

 marked basilar membrane is at hand. It will 

 be remembered that one consideration which 

 led Helmholtz to abandon the notion that the 

 arches of Corti alone are responsible for the 

 sensing of the differences in pitch and to 

 assign that function to the fibers of the basilar 

 membrane was due to the fact that birds pos- 

 sess the latter structure but not the former. 



The author treats of Spatially determined 

 Reactions and Space Perceptions, in two 

 chapters. She discusses here: reaction to a 

 single localized stimulus; orienting reactions; 

 reaction to a moving stimulus; reaction 

 to a retinal image; reactions adapted to the 

 distance of objects. The various reactions 

 considered in this part of the book should in 

 all probability be treated together, but it is 

 somewhat a stretch of the imagination to deal 

 with them under a title so suggestive of or- 

 ganized mental life. Aside from this point 

 we must comment upon the value of the 

 organization of this complex matei'ial. Those 

 of us who have followed in some measure the 

 advances made in the study of the lower or- 

 ganisms know what a tremendous task it must 

 have been to go through this field and to 

 gather up the important facts and then sys- 

 tematically to organize them into a readable 

 whole. 



The latter part of the book deals with the 

 modification of conscious processes by indi- 



' " Vergleichende Anatomie der Wirbelthiere," 

 funfte Auflage, p. 324. Cf. also tbe monumental 

 work of Eetzius on tbe auditory organs of verte- 

 brates. 



' 0. Hasse. See Helmholtz's " Sensations of 

 Tone," p. 146. 



vidual experience; the memory idea; and some 

 aspects of attention. 



The book as a whole is so well done that 

 we venture the opinion that its usefulness will 

 continue for several years to come. Its ar- 

 rangement is such that the results of later 

 researches as they appear from time to time 

 may be easily incorporated into successive 

 editions. John B. Watson 



The UNivEEsrrY of Chicago 



A PocTcei Handhooh of Minerals, designed for 

 use in the field or class-room with little 

 reference to chemical tests. By G. Mon- 

 tague Butler, E.M., Assistant Professor of 

 Geology and Mineralogy, Colorado School 

 of Mines, Golden, Colorado, United States 

 Deputy Mineral Surveyor. 16mo, pp. 

 is + 298. 89 figures. Morocco, $3 (12/6 

 net). New York, John Wiley & Sons; 

 London, Chapman & HaU, Limited. 1908. 

 This book is designed for both field and 

 class work and to fill a space between works 

 " too cumbersome " for the field and works 

 " so condensed as to confuse rather than aid." 

 Two hundred species are described in terms 

 of those characters which the author considers 

 best help in their determination, and prefer- 

 ence is given to the so-called " physical fea- 

 tures." Each species is described in the same 

 fixed order and certain chosen characters are 

 brought into especial prominence by the use 

 of heavy-face type so that " a mere glance at 

 a page will often suffice to recall the appear- 

 ance of a mineral." 



In the selection of important characters as 

 indicated by heavy-face type, very great 

 prominence is given to cleavage and very little 

 to blowpipe or acid tests. It is certainly to be 

 questioned whether in the field with average 

 specimens, not usually crystals, even the 

 trained mineralogist can determine more than 

 the existence or non-existence of marked 

 cleavage and in certain instances the approxi- 

 mate cleavage angles. The blowpipe is 

 usually as available as the goniometer or 

 microscope. 



Following the descriptions of species, which 

 occupy 270 pages, are some ten pages of miscel- 

 laneous tables including lists of commercially 



