June 29, 1S83.] 



SCIENCE. 



605 



appearance of the protoplasmatic network of 

 cells. If these appearances are real, Dr. Heitz- 

 mann's best plan of securing recognition for 

 his views would be to send preparations to be 

 examined b^y histologists of experience in re- 

 search. The discover^' of the reticular charac- 

 ter of protoplasm is very interesting, and our 

 author deserves praise for insisting on this 

 point ; but we find in his volume little to 

 awaken the expectation that it will earn rec- 

 ognition for the ' bioplasson doctrine ; ' which, 

 in our opinion, is not shown to deserve serious 

 consideration, although it is possible or even 

 probable that in certain cases a secondary 

 connection is established between the proto- 

 plasm of adjacent cells. 



It should be added that special consider- 

 ation of the pathological chapters has been 

 purposely omitted -from this notice as inappro- 

 priate here. 



EUROPEAN ORTHOPTERA. 



Prodromus der europaischen Orlhoptera. Von C. 



BiiUNNER voiST VVattenwyl. Leipzisf, Engel- 



mann, 1882. 32, 466 p., 11 pL, map. 8°. 



The activit}' of systematists within the past 

 thirty years has rarel v received a more striking 

 proof than in the publication of the volume 

 before us. When H. Fischer published his 

 classic work on European Orthoptera, the num- 

 ber of recognized species on that continent was 

 less than two hundred and fiftj'. Brunner, one 

 of our leading writers, now places the number 

 at verj' nearly' double the former figure. The 

 increase is particularlj- marked in the Locusta- 

 riae, which have nearlj- trebled.^ Alreadj', while 

 Fischer's work was passing through the press, 

 Fieber was making discoveries in the little 

 worked region of south-eastern Europe ; and, of 

 late years, Bolivar and others have shown how 

 little the Iberian peninsula was known ; yet 

 one would scarcely have looked for such strik- 

 ing additions in so old a field as Europe, and 

 among such bulkj^ insects as the Orthoptera. 



Meanwhile there has been great activity- in 

 the studj^ of Orthoptera of other parts of the 

 world ; and it maj' safely be said, that, if the 

 number of European Orthoptera has doubled, 

 that of the world at large has quadrupled in 

 the same period. This has entailed much re- 

 vision and remodelling, in the work of which 

 Bi'unner, Saussure, and the gifted and lamented 

 Stal, have performed the most honorable part, 

 though thej' ma}^ have been outdone in (diluted) 

 quantit}' by Walker. 



1 Brunner credits Epbippigera with forty-nine species, of 

 "which only ten are given by Fischer. The additions are largely 

 from Bolivar's worli in Spain. 



There was need, then, that some one should 

 crystallize the methods of recent days for a 

 region so abounding in workers as Europe. 

 This Brunner has now attempted. 



He disclaims at the outset anj' attempt at a 

 monograph. Europe, he rightly says, is no 

 natural province, and the Orthoptera, in the 

 sense of the older naturalists as used in his 

 work, no natural order. For the convenience 

 onh- of the numerous workers in this region 

 upon the somewhat heterogeneous groups which 

 have been classed under Orthoptera, he issues 

 this Prodromus. It is excellent as a sj'stematic 

 review. The groups are cleai-ly and succinctl}^ 

 defined, but the work is mainly of value in 

 a faunal sense. There is no superfluity of lan- 

 guage ; analytical tables abound ; the balance 

 of parts is admirable ; every genus is well illus- 

 trated ; and, as an expression and S3'nthesis of 

 current toxonomic views, it will serve a most 

 useful purpose. But the biolog}' of these in- 

 sects is entirelj- and purposel}^ overlooked ; 

 and there is j'et room for some one, working 

 upon the excellent model of Fischer, but with 

 the light the newer biological studies have 

 given, to produce a work which shall be classi- 

 cal, and far more fruitful than this can be. 



MACHINERY AT PARIS, 187S. 



Rapport!: dujury international, groupe VI., classe 

 54 : Les machines et les appareits de la me'cha- 

 nique ge'ne'rale. Par M. Hirsch, ingenieur des 

 ponts efc chaussees. Paris, Imprimerie nationale, 

 1883. 8°. 



M. HiRSCH has collated and edited the notes 

 of the members of the section of the juiy of 

 which he was secretary, and compiled a verj- 

 extensive and detailed report, with the addition 

 of considerable matter original with himself, 

 thus making a valuable work of the official 

 report. The principal classes of exhibits here 

 examined are steam engines and boilers, with 

 their accessories (divided into stationarj' and 

 locomotive engines and portable machines) , 

 hot-air engines, electric and other motors, 

 h3'draulic machinery, compressed-air appara- 

 tus, machinery' of transmission, machinei-y of 

 ti'ansportation, dj-namometers, and miscellane- 

 ous parts of machinery. There seem to have 

 been no steam-boilers or accessories from the 

 United States except the Hancock inspirator, 

 which is well noticed. The engines of Corliss 

 and Wheelock are studied at length, and appar- 

 ently' with xevy satisfactory results, the latter 

 taking the grande mklaille. A large number 

 of engines were exhibited, — copies of the 

 American Corliss engine, which has evidently 



