456 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 40. 



eral results. The book seems to be a thoroughly- 

 trustworthy guide to modern histology. The 

 author emphasizes the need of keeping physi- 

 ology constantly in mind in studying morphol- 

 ogy ; this is one of the crying needs of mor- 

 phological study at the present time, and it may 

 be safely predicted that future advances will 

 most often be made by those who see in mor- 

 phology the agent or material vehicle of physi- 

 ology. 



Unlike most guides to investigation in which 

 a microscope is necessary, this one omits all 

 consideration of the instrument of the investi- 

 gator. The author believes that as the micro- 

 scope is a physical instrument it should be 

 studied in a course on physics. He stands 

 nearly or quite alone in this respect. Most 

 teachers have found that the special application 

 of an' instrument could best be taught in actually 

 applying the instrument to the investigation, 

 and the best instructor is' the one who has had 

 experience in the use of the special instrument, 

 it being always understood, of course, that the 

 teacher has an adequate knowledge of the 

 theory of the instrument. The author also be- 

 lieves that in a work on histology the methods 

 by which the results are obtained should find 

 no place, but be in a separate volume. He is 

 here also largely in a minority, as the best works 

 on modern histology give the methods by which 

 each preparation has been obtained. This is 

 sometimes given with the preparation or at the 

 end of the chapter. The advantage is that a stu- 

 dant can follow exactly the method of the book 

 he is studying and avoid the confusion of being 

 compelled to make his own selection ft'om 

 several methods. The uncertainty as to the 

 cause of any failure is thus largely eliminated. 



From the standpoint of a teacher who has 

 had much experience with students, the reviewer 

 is compelled to say that it would reqviire one of 

 experience to make the best use of this guide, 

 as in many, if not the majority of, cases the di- 

 rections are so brief that a beginner would find 

 it impossible to fill the gaps. For one with ex- 

 perience, however, the book would serve an ex- 

 cellent purpose, for its directions include many 

 late -methods, and the general discussions are 

 very suggestive. A drawback for the teacher 

 is the lack of references to the sovirces of the 



various methods given. Credit is given, as 

 Eanvier's method, etc., but no reference to the 

 place in which the full discussion can be found, 

 and certainly in a book serving as a guide to 

 investigation — and this professes to be such — 

 the investigator should be given every aid. The 

 Microtomists' Vade Mecum of Lee is far more 

 satisfactory in this respect. 



In a word, the book, with all its excellencies, 

 is too brief for beginners without experienced 

 teachers, and for the advanced worker the lack 

 of references to original sources detracts greatly 

 from its usefulness. S. H. G. 



SCIENTIFIC JONBNALS. 



PSYCHE, OCTOBER. 



The number is almost exclusively given to a 

 revision of the species of the orthopteran genus 

 Spharagemon by A. P. Morse. The author 

 divides it into three series : bolli (with 4 

 species), sequale (3) and collare (2) ; but he fur- 

 ther divides S. collare into no less than six races, 

 to which he gives names ; considerable change 

 in the synonymy results. Excellent outline fig- 

 ures are given of the face of six of the com- 

 moner species with a few other characteristic 

 parts. Three new species are briefly described. 

 The genus is strictly North American and has 

 not been found west of the Sierra Nevada. Mr. 

 Morse expresses no definite opinion regarding 

 the intimacy of its relationship to Dissosteira, 

 under which Saussure placed it as a subgenus. 



NEW BOOKS. 

 Report of the Chief of the Weather' Bureau for 



1893. "Washington. Government Printing 



Office. 1894. Pp. 319. 

 The Forces of Nature. Herbert B. Harrold 



and Louis A. Wallis. Columbus, Ohio, the 



authors. 1895. Pp. 159. 

 Psychology in Education. Ruric N. Roark. New 



York, American Book Company. 1895. Pp. 



312. $1.00. 

 The Rerschels and Modern Astronomy. Agnes 



M. Clerke. New York, Macmillan & Co. 



1895. Pp. vi+224. $1.25. 

 Justus von Liebiff, Sis Life and Work {1S0S-1S73). 



W. A. Shenstone. New York, Macmillan 



& Co. 1895. Pp. vi + 215. $1.25. 



