February 28, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



327 



(Edinb.), F. R. S, London and New York, 



Maemillan & Co. 1895. 8°, pp. xi+584, 

 I and 371 wood cuts. $4.00. 



This volume of the Cambridge Natural History 

 bears upon its cover the subtitle Peripatus, etc. , 

 Sedgwick; from which one gains no hint that 

 the book consists chiefly of the first part of an 

 extensive treatise on Insects by David Sharp. 

 But such is the case, more than five-sixths of 

 the volume being on this subject and by this 

 author. 



The volume is begun by an essay on Peripatus _ 

 by Adam Sedgwick, the well-known authority 

 on this genus. This essay, which gives the 

 title to the volume, comprises only 24 pages: 

 but it contains a very clear account of the struc- 

 ture, habits and development of these, the most 

 generalized of all arthropods. To this account 

 are added a synopsis of the known species and 

 a map illustrating the geographical distribution 

 of the genus. 



Following the essay on Peripatus is one treat- 

 ing of itfi/ria^pods by F. G. Sinclair. This occu- 

 pies about 50 pages of the volume. After a 

 somewhat rambling introduction, there is given 

 a brief synopsis of the orders and families of 

 this class, based chiefly on the classification of 

 Koch. This is followed by an excellent ac- 

 count of the structure of Myriapods, including a 

 discussion of the distinctive features of each of 

 the four orders, an outline of the embryology of 

 these animals, and a resume of our knowledge 

 of fossil forms. 



The chief interest in the volume, however, 

 centers in the portion written by Mr. Sharp. 

 During the last few years, in this country at 

 least, there has been a great increase in the 

 number of students of insects ; and any work 

 on this subject from the hand of a master is 

 sure to be warmly welcomed. In this case the 

 welcome will not be soon worn out. Sharp^s 

 Entomology, as this and the succeeding volume 

 should be termed, will find and keep a place on 

 the desk of every working entomologist ; for, 

 judging by the part before us, this is the best 

 general treatise on insects that has yet appeared 

 in any language. 



The great merit of the work lies in the clear- 

 ness and simplicity of its style, in the excel- 

 lence of the illustrations, in the extent to 



which recent contributions to the morphology 

 of insects are included, and in the numerous 

 bibliographical references. 



In the division of the Insecta into orders, a 

 conservative plan is followed, only nine orders 

 being recognized ; but most of the smaller 

 orders of recent writers are indicated by sub- 

 headings. The following is a list of the orders 

 recognized : Aptera, Orthoptera, Neuroptera, 

 Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, 

 Physanoptera and Hemiptera. 



The resurrection of the old name Aptera and 

 its application to the order now almost univer- 

 sally known as the Thysanura seems to me to 

 be unfortunate. The advantage of retaining the 

 termination 'ptera' for each of the orders, 

 which seems to be the main reason for this course, 

 could have been attained by the adoption of 

 Brauer's term, Synaptera, which is of the form 

 desired, is not in itself misleading, and has not 

 been used in a widely diflTerent sense, as is the 

 case with Aptera. 



It seems strange too, in the light of recent 

 contributions on the subject, that our author, in 

 his linear arrangement of the orders, should 

 separate so widely the Trichoptera (included by 

 him in the Neuroptera) and the Lepidoptera ; 

 certainly these groups have been shown to be 

 more closely allied than any other two of the 

 nine orders. 



But criticisms of details in a brief notice of so 

 important a work as this are hardly worth 

 while. It is enough to say that the plan of 

 treatment is excellent, and that it has been 

 carried out in an admirable manner. Entomol- 

 ogists will eagerly await the appearance of the 

 concluding volume. 



John Henry Comstock. 



The Herschels and Modern Astronomy. By Agnes 

 M. Clerke. Published by Maemillan & Co. , 

 New York. Pp. vi+ 224, with three portraits. 

 Price, $1.25. 



For this volume, considered as biography, we 

 have nought but praise. In smoothly flowing 

 lines its author gives, not the annals of the Her- 

 schel family, but rather a series of pictures from 

 the lives of Sir William, Sir John and Caroline 

 which suffice to present in vivid colors the indi- 

 viduality of brother, sister and son. We catch 



