June 27, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



1029 



mosquito pest, though that is not especially 

 mentioned in the published list of objects. It 

 is remarkable that, besides expending many 

 thousands of dollars to attain that end, they 

 should also publish their results at an expen- 

 diture of hundreds more, for the benefit of 

 others contemplating similar improvements. 



' Reports ' contained in the volume are made 

 by the Executive Committee; by their en- 

 gineer, Mr. Henry Clay Weeks ; by Professor 

 N. S. Shaler, of Harvard University; by Pro- 

 fessor Charles B. Davenport, of the University 

 of Chicago, and by Mr. Frank B. Lutz, of the 

 same place. 



Professor Shaler deals chiefly with the mat- 

 ter of salt marshes, their value when re- 

 claimed, the methods of reclamation and the 

 crops that may be planted on such areas. The 

 paper is an interesting one, general in its 

 scope, without pretense to novelty, but in- 

 forming in character. 



Professor Davenport and Mr. Lutz, each 

 with an assistant, report on the entomological 

 work done, which consisted mainly of a 

 thorough survey of the territory covered by 

 the association, and the determination of the 

 breeding places for mosquitoes of all kinds. 

 Oulex and Anopheles are nearly always lumped 

 and specific terms rarely appear. There is 

 nothing, therefore, to determine what species 

 actually occur and what species are actually 

 troublesome. The usual generalized life 

 histories are given and the usual recommenda- 

 tions applied to the specific conditions are 

 made. JSTo original investigations seem to 

 have been carried on and no novelty is 

 claimed; the report is informing in its gen- 

 eral character, and is a model of thoroughness 

 within its scope. It is to be regretted that, 

 especially in Culex, the species found breeding 

 in the various localities are not determined. 

 It is by no means certain that for practical 

 purposes all mosquitoes should come under an 

 equal ban, and nothing in the report shows 

 whether the mosquitoes so often referred to 

 were such as were breeding in the waters near 

 by, where larvse were found. 



The report of the engineer is supplemented 

 by an elaborate map on a scale sufiicient to 

 admit of the marking of all points where treat- 



ment is necessary or where engineering work 

 is required. It is confined to the local prob- 

 lem and no generalizations are attempted. 



Altogether the 'Reports' show a well-organ- 

 ized effort, intelligently carried out, which is 

 bound to secure the desired results in due 

 time. It may be a question whether the re- 

 sults could not have been obtained by a some- 

 what less elaborate and expensive organiza- 

 tion; and it may be that the staff employed 

 by its very excellence and the expense incur- 

 red may deter rather than encourage smaller 

 or less wealthy bodies from embarking in 

 similar works. 



To secure general cooperation in the cam- 

 paign against mosquitoes the methods must 

 be of the simplest and cheapest that will prove 

 effective. But on this latter point the 'Reports' 

 deserve unqualified praise for the stand taken, 

 that destruction of breeding places, not the 

 never-ending destruction of larvae, should be 

 aimed at; that permanent works rather than 

 merely palliative measures should be the aim 

 of the asssociation. 



John B. Smith. 



New Brunswick, N. J., 

 June 12, 1902. 



Researches on Cellulose, 1895-1900. By Cross 

 & Bevan. London, New York and Bombay, 

 Longmans, Green and Co. 1901. 8vo. 

 Pp. 180. 



The first work on cellulose by these authors, 

 published in 1895, was an attempt to bring to- 

 gether into convenient shape, and, as far as 

 possible, into logical arrangement, the scat- 

 tered and largely unclassified knowledge on 

 this important subject. That they made an 

 excellent beginning in bringing order out of 

 chaos few investigators familiar with the 

 subject will deny. The first work has been 

 and is of decided value both to the scientific 

 and the industrial worker. The present vol- 

 ume reviews the researches on cellulose from 

 1895 to 1900. The matter is arranged under 

 the following sections: Introduction, dealing 

 with tli3 subject in general outline; Section 

 I., ' General Chemistry of the Typical Cotton 

 Cellulose'; Section II., 'Synthetical Deriva- 

 tives — Sulphocarbonates and Esters ' ; Section 

 III., 'Decompositions of Cellulose such as 



