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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 917 



the optic lobes and the cerebellum, being de- 

 rived from the procephalic neuromeres and 

 having been carried caudally by the enlarge- 

 ment of the cerebral hemispheres and the optic 

 lobes. Surely one might expect to find some 

 indications of such a remarkable transloca- 

 tion in the ontogeny of the vertebrate brain, 

 and yet one will look for it in vain. If it has 

 occurred we must leave it to the neurologists 

 to frame an explanation of the connections of 

 the cerebellum. 



This translocation is an essential part of 

 Professor Patten's theory and with its ac- 

 curacy and that of the supposed new-formation 

 of the mouth the theory must stand or fall. 

 While one may admire the ingenuity displayed 

 in discovering unexpected homologies, one 

 must acknowledge a feeling that in many 

 cases they but create difficulties greater even 

 than those they were intended to obviate. Nor 

 does one find in the theory any explanation of 

 the most essential feature of the vertebrate 

 nervous system, namely, its arrangement in 

 longitudinal zones corresponding to the nerve 

 components. Indeed, the theory makes such 

 an arrangement impossible, and yet an ex- 

 planation of this arrangement and associated 

 structural peculiarities must be an essential 

 part of any acceptable theory of vertebrate 

 phylogenesis. 



But while the theory must be adjudged to 

 be at least " not proven," it must be pointed 

 out that Professor Patten in the study of the 

 problem has added extensively to our knowl- 

 edge of the morphology of the primitive arach- 

 nids and of the Arthrostraca, an account of 

 the latter, based very largely on the study of 

 material contained in Professor Patten's pri- 

 vate collection, forming one of the most in- 

 teresting chapters of the book. The conclud- 

 ing chapters are a discussion of the author's 

 views as to the phylogeny of the various verte- 

 brate and invertebrate groups, summed up in 

 a concluding phylogenetic tree. Even though 

 one may not agree with the author's conclu- 

 sions, this portion, as well as the rest of the 

 book, will be found well worth careful study 

 by all morphologists. 



It is to be regretted that the author has not 



taken more pains to render the reading of the 

 book less tedious. Not but that the presenta- 

 tion is satisfactory, barring many annoying 

 orthographical errors, and the numerous il- 

 lustrations are excellent both in execution and 

 reproduction. But rarely is a figure to be 

 found on the page where it is referred to and 

 the reader becomes wearied turning backwards 

 and forwards to find the figure to which his 

 attention is directed, only to discover, when 

 he has located it, that he must turn again to 

 the end of the book to find an explanation of 

 the lettering employed. And even then he 

 will not always find what he is looking for. 

 The index, too, is decidedly inadequate. 



J. P. MoM. 



SCIENTIFIC JOVBNALS AND ASTICLES 

 The contents of the June issue of Terres- 

 trial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity 

 include : 



"The Penetrating Radiation," W. W. Strong. 



' ' Results of some Long Series of Magnetic Ob- 

 servatory Observations: Colaba (1846-1905), Pola 

 (1847-1909) and Potsdam (1892-1900)," re- 

 viewed by D. L. Hazard. 



' ' The Physical Theory of the Earth 's Magnetic 

 and Electric Phenomena, No. V. : On the Forma- 

 tion of the Earth 's Magnetic Field, " L. A. Bauer. 



' ' Magnetic Declinations and Chart Corrections 

 in the Atlantic Ocean according to the Observa- 

 tions on Board the Carnegie, June, 1910, to March, 

 1911," L. A. Bauer and W. J. Peters. 



BOTANICAL NOTES 

 Laboratory botanists who are looking for a 

 constant temperature apparatus will do well 

 to read W. J. S. Land's paper on this subject 

 in The Botanical Gazette for November, 1911, 

 where the descriptions are illustrated by work- 

 ing drawings quite sufficient to enable a good 

 workman to reproduce the apparatus at much 

 less cost than otherwise. 



Botanists will read " The Wilting Coeffi- 

 cient for Diiierent Plants and its Indirect 

 Determination," by L. J. Briggs and H. L. 

 Shantz (Bull. 230, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 U. S. Dept. Agriculture), for two purposes: 

 (1) The very considerable amount of valuable 



