Decembeb 21, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



805 



The University of Virginia shows a con- 

 siderable increase all along the line, and its 

 enrollment this year is the largest in the 

 history of the institution. The department 

 of engineering began with 58 students in 

 the academic year of 1903^, there were 88 

 the following year and 118 at the close of 

 the academic year 1905-6. The final regis- 

 tration for this year will no doubt pass 125. 

 Among recent material improvements and 

 additions may be mentioned the repairing 

 and better equipment of the anatomy hall ; 

 the provision and equipping of a histolog- 

 ical laboratory; further equipment of bac- 

 teriological and pathological laboratory; 

 provision and equipment of a laboratory 

 for physiology and physiological chemis- 

 try; provision and equipment of an addi- 

 tional chemical laboratory; a residence for 

 the president of the university; the uni- 

 versity commons, and a north wing to the 

 hospital. 



The University of Wisconsin shows a 

 slight decrease in the fall figures, which, 

 however, is more than offset by the increase 

 in the enrollment of the summer session. 

 The chief decrease has been experienced in 

 the number of men in the academic depart- 

 ment, all of the other departments, with 

 the exception of pedagogy, showing a gain 

 or having remained stationary. Attention 

 should be called to the fact that graduate 

 students are assigned to the different col- 

 leges in which their work principally lies, 

 the total number of graduate students indi- 

 cated under the caption of 'graduate 

 schools' having been included in the deduc- 

 tion made for double registration. The 

 entrance requirements for admission to the 

 college of engineering were increased this 

 year, more mathematics being demanded 

 than heretofore. No short-course students 

 have been included in the summary. If 

 the students enrolled in the winter course 

 in dairying and in the short course in agri- 

 culture were included, it would increase the 



enrollment at this university considerably. 

 The fall registration at Yale Uyiiversity 

 still continues to increase, although the 

 grand total (on account of a decrease in 

 the number of summer-session students) is 

 exactly the same as it was last year. The 

 departments that show a loss in their regis- 

 tration are those of art, divinity and music, 

 and the graduate schools, although the de- 

 crease is in no case large. A striking fact 

 is the slow but regular gain of the aca- 

 demic department during the last five 

 years. Rudolf Tombo, Jr., 



Registrar. 

 Columbia UNmEESiTT. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 



An Outline of the Theory of Organic Evolu- 

 tion, with a Description of some of the 

 Phenomena which it explains. Second 

 Edition, revised. By Maynard M. Met- 

 CALF. New York, The Maemillan Com- 

 pany. 1906. 8vo. 



Of popular treatises on the doctrine of 

 organic evolution there is a goodly number, 

 but in none is there such clearness in exposi- 

 tion combined with such abundance of well- 

 chosen and well reproduced illustrations as is 

 to be found in Professor Metcalf s volume. 

 This is a sufficient explanation of early ap- 

 pearance of a second edition of the book, 

 which, the author informs us, is * not intended 

 for biologists, but rather for those who would 

 like a brief introductory outline' of the the- 

 ory of evolution. To all teachers of biology, 

 however, as well as to the general public, the 

 book will be welcome, especially on account of 

 the numerous excellent figures which serve to 

 illustrate, almost without description, many 

 of the facts upon which the theory is based. 

 Especially valuable is the series of seventeen 

 plates, several of them colored, illustrating 

 variation in domestic animals and cultivated 

 plants, and especial mention may also be made 

 of the beautiful examples of color printing 

 shown in the figures illustrating color in ani- 

 mals. The extent to which the author has 

 relied on illustrations for the exposition of 

 his subject may be gathered from the fact that 



