May 25, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



813 



it is only the man with a broad and keen Insight 

 into theoretical chemistry who can ever hope to 

 make a successful electrochemist or electrochemical 

 engineer. 



It is in this spirit that the book is prepared 

 and arranged. One might perhaps regret 

 that there are not more examples for the 

 student to carry out in the laboratory, but 

 when it is borne in mind that a vast subject is 

 pretty thoroughly covered and that it seems 

 to bei;he aim of the author to have those who 

 follow him in his work obtain as complete an 

 acquaintance as possible of the whole domain 

 of electrochemistry, the word of seeming 

 protest or advice remains unspoken. 



There are twenty chapters in the book. 

 These occupy in all about 284 pages. In 

 chapter I. the history and the important 

 classic researches are considered. The theory 

 of electrolytic dissociation is accorded two 

 full chapters. Faraday's law is given twenty 

 pages. There then follow chapters on the 

 preparation of potassium chlorate, nitric acid 

 from the atmosphere, the isolation of sodium 

 and potassium, of aluminium and of calcium. 

 In regard to the last the author remarks 

 ' the electrolytic isolation of metallic calcium 

 is far from easy.' The reviewer is disposed 

 to differ on this point, as he has made it and 

 had it made by students in his laboratory 

 upon quite a large scale and with comparative 

 ease. Further, the reviewer always encotm- 

 tered difficulties in attempting to cage the 

 metal in a cylinder of platinum-wire gauze 

 that goes over the cathode wire. The furnace 

 used by Goodwin has proved very satisfactory 

 and is easy to operate. For bariutm and 

 strontium wholly differently constructed fur- 

 naces were found necessary. 



Electric furnaces, the preparation of or- 

 ganic compounds, discussions on the primary 

 cell, the secondary cell, electricity from car- 

 bon, useful pieces of apparatus and a bibli- 

 ography complete the remaining chapters. 

 The author has endeavored ' to produce a book 

 that will prove useful both in the lecture 

 room and in the laboratory,' and the reviewer 

 thinks that he has succeeded. 



Edgar F. Smith. 



TJniveksity of Pennsylvania. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 



The American Naturalist for May opens 

 with the 'Application of de Vries's Mutation 

 Theory to the MoUusca ' by Frank C. Baker. 

 The article deals with some fresh-water forms 

 and the author concludes that, while the theory 

 seems to fit in nicely in many instances, it 

 must not be applied too hastily to animal life. 

 W. A. Kepner presents some ' Notes on the 

 Genus Leptophrys,' and E. A. Andrews de- 

 scribes in detail the ' Egg-laying of Crayfish,' 

 the species observed being Carnbarus affinis. 

 Glover M. Allen notes the occurrence of 

 ' Sowerby's Whale on the Atlantic Coast ' and 

 gives a list of the recorded occurrences of 

 this species. The * Fresh-water Ehizopoda 

 of Nantucket ' are listed by Joseph A. Cush- 

 man. Among the ' Notes on Literature ' is 

 a large number of notes and reviews of papers 

 on fishes. 



The Museums Journal of Great Britain for 

 April has for its leading article ' Dublin Mu- 

 seum. The Circulation Branch,' by the di- 

 rector, G. T. Plunkett. This contains a 

 detailed account of the circulating collections 

 in botany, zoology, industrial crafts, artistic 

 crafts, etc., including the objects loaned, the 

 size of the cases and methods of packing for 

 shipment, with example of labels and explana- 

 tory leaflets. The cases are loaned for periods 

 of seven weeks or less. From the report we 

 learn that the collections that have a direct 

 relation to work that may be done by stu- 

 dents seem to be in the greatest demand. The 

 balance of the number is occupied with re- 

 views and notes. 



The American Museum Journal for April 

 is styled the Local-birds Number, as it con- 

 tains the first instalment of ' The Birds of 

 the Vicinity of New York City ' by Frank M. 

 Chapman, intended as a guide to the special 

 collection of birds found within fifty miles of 

 New York. The second instalment will ap- 

 pear in the July Journal and the whole as 

 Guide Leaflet 22; it will be a most useful 

 little handbook. There is a notice of ' The 

 Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Presidency of 

 Mr. Jesup,' and of the publications resulting 

 from the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, as 



