386 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 375. 



the work, bear evidence of having been selected 

 for the purpose of gradually and systemat- 

 ically leading the student to do some inde- 

 pendent thinking and original work. From 

 every point of view this elementary work on 

 'Plane and Solid Geometry' is a commend- 

 able text-book. M. F. O'Eeilly. 

 Manhattan College, 

 New York City. 



Zoology: An Elementary Text-hooh. By A. 

 E. Shipley, M.A., and E. W. MacBeide, 

 M.A. (Cantab.), D.Sc. (Lond.). New York, 

 The Macmillan Company. 1901. 

 This is a neatly gotten up general zoology 

 of xxii and 632 pages, with 349 text figures. 

 The text is divided into 23 chapters, of which 

 the first is an introduction of 12 pages briefly 

 reviewing the properties of living things and 

 defining a number of general terms and 

 phrases. The remaining pages are appor- 

 tioned in order as follows : Protozoa 27, Coelen- 

 terata 29, Porifera 7, Introduction to the Coelo- 

 mata 6, Annelida 28, Arthropoda 87, Mollusca 

 39, Echinodermata 40, Brachiopoda 6, Polyzoa 

 5, Chastognatha 4, Hemichordata (Balano- 

 glossus) 5, Cephalochordata (Amphioxus) 14, 

 Frochordata (Tunicates) 9, Craniata 259, 

 Platyhelminthes 21, Nemertinea 5, Eotifera 

 8, Nematoda 6, Index 16. 



Putting aside likes and dislikes, one must 

 admit that this is a pretty fair distribution. 

 We cannot, however, see what is gained by 

 considering the Coelenterata before the Porif- 

 era, and the Flatworms, Eoundworms, Nem- 

 erteans and Eotifers after the Mammals. 

 Logical and natural sequence of generaliza- 

 tions is not without distinct value and inter- 

 est, and from this point of view such an ap- 

 parently insig-nificant matter of detail as 

 intervening the Coelenterata, or any other 

 group, between the Protozoa and Porifera be- 

 comes important. 



On the whole, the treatment of the phyla is 

 good. In each group of animals some more 

 or less representative form is described in con- 

 siderable detail, and other forms of interesting 

 habits or having a bearing upon some prin- 

 ciple or generalization are noted. The sys- 

 tematic tables avoid the shoals of details and 

 briefly characterize only the phyla, classes. 



subclasses, orders and suborders. Under the 

 final division of the group considered one to 

 three genera are named as examples. The 

 book being an English one, we are not sur- 

 prised to see American forms somewhat 

 slighted. The nomenclature is not always the 

 most modern, but that is a matter of such 

 minor importance in an elementary text that 

 it may be overlooked. In some respects the 

 authors have not always lived up to the ex- 

 cellent principles laid down in the preface. 

 With them we believe technical terms and 

 phrases should, so far as practicable, be elu- 

 cidated in connection with the first presenta- 

 tion of forms illustrating them. We natural- 

 ly expect to find radial symmetry noted in 

 connection with the Coelenterata, but it is 

 first mentioned on page 80 in the introduction 

 to the Coelomata. As a rule the principle is 

 lived up to in good shape. The very limited 

 space given to embryology and physiology is 

 in our opinion a real defect. It would have 

 been better to make room for more of this by 

 cutting out portions of the general accounts. 

 We also believe that taking up a phylum by 

 beginning with a consecutive account of some 

 form as a type is the proper plan for an ele- 

 mentary text-book. In this respect the treat- 

 ment of the Arthropoda, which is compara- 

 tive, is inferior to that of the Annelida and 

 other phyla. 



To write a good text-book on zoology is no 

 easy task, and to write one acceptable to every 

 one is an impossibility. The most that should 

 be expected of a text-book is positive and con- 

 tinuous assistance to teacher and pupil. Suc- 

 cessful teaching lies with the teacher and not 

 in the text-book. 



The book before us is well gotten up. The 

 typographical work is good, the figures as a 

 rule are clear and the page is clean and in- 

 viting. Wlaile in some respects it still leaves 

 room for improvement, we consider it one of 

 the best and most worthy of recent elementary 

 text-books on zoology. 



Henry F. ISTachtrieb. 

 Gustav Theodor Fechner. Eede zur Feier 



seines hundertjahrigen Geburtstages gehal- 



ten von WiUielm Wundt. Leipzig, Engel- 



mann. 1901. 



