156 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIV. No. 342 



for the mayflower, 21 per cent ; the laurel, 3-}- ; dandelion, 3 ; sun- 

 flower, I ; and daisy, i. 



— The Fortnightly Review for August opens with a paper on 

 " Mr. Gladstone and the Civilized World," by Karl Blind, in'which 

 the writer reviews Mr. Gladstone's criticisms on home rule in other 

 countries and applies the lessons to Ireland. Dr. Joseph Thom- 

 son, the noted explorer, writes on " Downing Street vs. Chartered 

 Companies in Africa," giving the record of British official rule, by 

 one who has had ample opportunities of personal observation. 

 Mdlie. de Bovet contributes a series of conversations with the 

 composer Gounod, embodying his views on art and artists, which 

 have been transcribed by one of his companions, and include much 

 interesting matter never before published. A paper on the " For- 

 tress of Paris," illustrated with a map, explains the great political 

 and strategical importance of the city, which it is claimed is un- 

 surpassed in these respects by any capital in Europe. J. D. Bour- 

 chier describes the " Great Servian Festival," the anniversary of 

 the fall of Servia's greatness on the battlefield of Kassovo, in 1389. 

 Walter Pater writes on Giordano Bruno, whose works have re- 

 ceived new attention from scholars since the unveiling of his monu- 

 ment in Rome. W. D. Hogarth contributes an article on the 

 "Present Discontent in Cyprus," condensing the history of the 

 island since 1878, when it was taken under the protection of Eng- 

 land. W. L. Courtney tells the story of the life of Roger Bacon, 

 with special reference to his life at Oxford, and presents an inter- 

 esting study of a much neglected figure in English history. Os- 

 wald Crauford draws a picture of Spanish and Portuguese bull- 

 fighting ; and Professor Tyrell contributes a brief note on Mr. 

 Browning's late attack on Edward FitzGerald. The number con- 

 cludes with " Some Truths about Russia," by a former resident. 



— Messrs. E. & F. N. Spon announce as nearly ready " Practi- 

 cal Electric Bell Fitting : a Treatise on the Fitting-up and Main- 

 tenance of Electric Bells and All the Necessary Apparatus," by F. 

 C. Allsop ; " A Dictionary of Electric Words, Terms, and Phrases," 

 by E. J. Houston ; " Practical Gold Mining, a Comprehensive 

 Treatise on the Origin and Occurrence of Gold-Bearing Gravels, 

 Rocks, and Ores, and the Methods by which the Gold is extracted," 

 by C. G. Warnford Lock; "Egyptian Irrigation," by W. Willcocks, 

 M.I.C.E., with introduction by Lieut.-Col. J. C. Ross, R.E., C.M.G.; 

 and "The Engineer's Sketch-Book of Mechanical Movements, De- 

 vices, Appliances, and Contrivances," by Thomas Walter Barber, 

 containmg details employed ift the design and construction of ma- 

 chinery for every purpose, collected from numerous sources and 

 from actual work, classified and arranged for reference for the use 

 of engineers, mechanical draughtsmen, managers, mechanics, in- 

 ventors, patent agents, and all engaged in the mechanical arts, 

 with nearly two thousand illustrations, descriptive notes, and mem- 

 oranda. 



— The Contemporary Review for August opens with an article 

 on the papacy, which has attracted much attention abroad. The 

 writer says that to re-establish the temporal power, the church 

 must be Anglicized or Americanized. This is illustrated by the 

 startling statement that the papal rescript against the plan of cam- 

 paign was launched by the pope under the pressure of the Eng- 

 lish government, against the advice of Persico, who has hitherto 

 been held responsible for that blunder. Sir Morell Mackenzie 

 contributes a valuable paper on the voice, treating of song. The 

 address by Frederick Harrison before the Positivist Society on the 

 centenary of the Bastile is reproduced entire, and presents a graphic 

 picture of some of the more exciting episodes of the French revo- 

 lution. Sir W. W. Hunter presents a plea for a female medical 

 profession for India, which is, he says, the only hope of reaching 

 Indian women. Canon Cheyne argues for reform in the teaching 

 of the Old Testament, and looks for an idealized church in the 

 future. Incidentally he touches on the agnostic controversy, and 

 the more important of recent theological writings. Frederic Mac- 

 karness reviews some of the recent experiments in governing South 

 Africa by the English authorities ; and George J. Romanes writes 

 a scholarly and interesting paper on " Mr. Wallace and Darwin- 

 ism." Mr. Romanes is a Darwinian, and does not follow Mr. 

 Wallace in some of his recent theories. Managers of picture ex- 

 hibitibns will find much of interest in the paper by M. H. Spielmann 



on the " Proposed Royal Academy Reform," in which the writer 

 tells what the proposed reforms are, and what they should be. 

 Philip H. Wickstead presents a study of Ibsen's " Peer Gynt," and 

 affords an instructive insight into the methods of a master who is 

 the literary sensation of the day in England, and who is looked 

 upon by many critics as the greatest dramatist of the age. The 

 number closes with an article on the " Civil List and the Grants to 

 the Royal Family," by Dr. Henry Dunckley, who goes into the 

 subject historically, and gathers many curious and little known 

 facts in a subject which is just now agitating England, and which 

 has attracted no little attention in this country. 



— Professor Henry C. McCook of the Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences, Philadelphia, is now prepared to issue his natural history of 

 the habits and industry of our orb-weaving spider fauna, under the 

 general title " American Spiders and their Spinning Work." It 

 embraces studies extended over more than fifteen years, and will 

 be printed in three volumes, quarto. Volumes I. and II. will con- 

 tain the author's personal observations, studies, and illustrations of 

 the habits and industry of spiders. The studies are particularly 

 directed to the spinning habits of the great group of spiders known 

 as orb-weavers ; but these are expressed in their relations to all the 

 other tribes in both hemispheres. Volume III. will contain the 

 systematic part of the work, and embrace descriptions of the orb- 

 weavers of the United States, illustrated by a number of fine litho- 

 graphic plates painted by hand in the colors of nature. The vol- 

 times will be profusely illustrated, wholly from nature, the number 

 of engravings in the first volume alone exceeding two hundred. 

 The language is as free as possible from technical terms, and, as 

 the matter principally concerns the life-history of the animals, the 

 chief contents of the work can be readily followed by any intelligent 

 and sympathetic reader. This is especially true of Volume II. The 

 publication of such a considerable work has involved a large ex- 

 pense, and as the circulation is necessarily limited to important 

 scientific societies, leading public libraries, and a small circle of 

 private individuals, the author has been compelled to undertake the 

 entire work and charges of publication. The number of prints will 

 be absolutely limited to five hundred, but an edition of two hun- 

 dred and fifty copies, which will be known as the " Author's Edi- 

 tion,"' will now be issued ; and the price of the volumes has been 

 fixed, as nearly as could be estimated, at the simple cost of publi- 

 cation. The price for the entire set of three volumes will be $30 

 for colored plates, or $25 for uncolored plates. No volume will be 

 sold separately. All persons subscribing within three months from 

 Aug. I, 18S9, will receive the entire set with colored plates for $25, 

 delivered, postage paid, in any part of America. The price post- 

 paid for Europe and all foreign countries is ^5 4s., English money. 

 After the limited time, no books will be sold for less than the full 

 price, with postage added. Payment will be expected as follows : 

 $10 on the delivery of Volume L, $10 on delivery of Volume II., 

 and $5 on delivery of Volume III. Full payment may be made, if 

 preferred by subscribers, on delivery of Volume I. The first vol- 

 ume will be delivered in the autumn of this year; the second vol- 

 ume, shortly thereafter ; and the third volume, which is already in 

 a good state of progress, in the early part of i8go. The several 

 volumes will be mailed with uncut edges in suitable form for li- 

 brary binding. Societies, libraries, and individuals who may pur- 

 pose to subscribe will materially forward the author's plans by act- 

 ing promptly. 



— The Nineteenth Century for August contains papers by an 

 imposing list of writers. Frederic Harrison opens the number 

 with " A Breakfast m Paris," giving the views of a number of 

 representative Parisians on the Exhibition and the political state of 

 France. L. Atherly Jones writes on " The New Liberalism," 

 which, with home rule, he believes to be destined to succeed, 

 though possibly not for some time to come. Dr. Burney Yeo pre- 

 sents some valuable suggestions on " Change of Air," which he 

 regards as almost imperative for city people. He also gives an 

 analysis of the ocean cure, with -suggestions as to places of resort 

 for invalids. Sir Joseph Fayrer begms a description of the deadly 

 wild beasts of British India, a subject of great importance when it 

 is remembered that 2,618 persons and 61,021 head of cattle per- 

 ished in 1887 by animals alone, not counting snakes, which caused 



