516 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 824 



train " broke up and " was resolved into two 

 parts." 



Ephorus may have been right despite the 

 calorie statement of Seneca; for, in our own 

 times, we have witnessed the disruption of 

 Biela's comet and have assurance of the dis- 

 integration of scores of others. 



One is not surprised to read of nature's ab- 

 horrence of a vacuum; but even an ardent 

 admirer of Seneca would hardly expect to find 

 a reference to the doctrine of the conservation 

 of matter (p. 121) or to the efiect of forest 

 denudation on the amount of rain-faU and on 

 the character of floods (p. 122). 



Though the rotation of the earth upon its 

 axis and its revolution • around the sun had 

 been advanced by several Greek astronomers 

 to explain the phenomena of day and night 

 Seneca seems to cling to the old belief of a 

 stationary earth and a revolving starry dome. 

 The " Qusestiones Natuiales " was written 

 in the last year or so of a life that was busy 

 intellectually and troublous politically; for 

 if Nero was a docile student, he showed him- 

 self afterward an ungrateful pupil as well as 

 a ruthless tyrant. One may well wonder how 

 Seneca found the time and tranquility needed 

 to add the present scientific treatise to his 

 numerous writings dramatic, philosophical 

 and moralistic. 



Throughout these pages, Seneca shows a 

 keen appreciation of the value of observa- 

 tion for the extension of our knowledge of 

 the world around us, and also of the impor- 

 tance of common sense in the interpretation 

 of our observations. 



To this translation in fine literary English, 

 Professor Clarke has prefixed a life (54 pages) 

 of the Eoman sage, and Sir Archibald Geike, 

 President of the Eoyal Society, has appended 

 a valuable analysis (23 pages) of each of the 

 seven books. This critical analysis from a 

 master pen gives by itself a good idea of what 

 was known in physical science in the time of 

 the Emperor Nero. Brother Potamian 



Manhattan College 



Allen's Commercial Organic Analysis. Vol. 

 II., Eixed Oils, Fats, Waxes, etc. Fourth 



edition, entirely rewritten. Edited by 

 Henry Leffmann and W. A. Davis. Phila- 

 delphia, P. Blakiston's Son and Co. 1910. 

 Pp. X + 520. Price $5.00 Vol. III., Hy- 

 drocarbons, Asphalt, Phenols, Aromatic 

 Acids, Modern Explosives. Pp. x + 635. 

 Price $5.00. 



As with the first volume, which was reviewed 

 in Science a few months ago, these volumes 

 have been so entirely rewritten as to form 

 practically new books. As with that the dif- 

 ferent chapters have been written by experts 

 in the different fields. In Volume II. the 

 authors are: Fixed Oils, Fats and Waxes, C. 

 Ainsworth Mitchell; Special Characters and 

 Methods (Olive Oil Group, Beeswax, etc.), 

 Leonard Aschbutt; Butter Fat, Cecil Reeves 

 and E. R. Bolton; Lard, C. Ainsworth Mit- 

 chell; Linseed Oil, 0. A. Klein; Higher Fatty 

 Acids, W. Robertson; Soap, Henry Leffmann; 

 Glycerol, W. A. Davis; Cholesterols, John 

 Addyman Gardner; Wool Fat, Cloth Oils, 

 Augustus H. GiU. In Volume III., Hydro- 

 carbons, r. C. Garrett; Bitumens, S. S. Sadt- 

 ler; Naphthalene and its Derivatives, W. A. 

 Davis; Anthracene and its Associates, S. S. 

 Sadtler; Phenols, S. S. Sadtler; Aromatic 

 Acids, Edward Horton; Gallic Acid and its 

 Derivatives, W. P. Dreaper; Phthalic Acid 

 and the Phthaleins, W. A. Davis; Modern 

 Explosives, A. Marshall; Table of Comparison 

 for Centigrade and Fahrenheit Degrees. 



The methods of analysis for complex mix- 

 tures of organic compounds are almost unlim- 

 ited in their variety and make use of all kinds 

 of physical and chemical properties. A book 

 which brings together the best of these meth- 

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 to the literature of the subjects considered is 

 indispensable in every laboratory where such 

 products are examined. This revision of 

 Allen's well-known book under the editorship 

 of Leffmann and Davis and with the collabo- 

 ration of well-selected experts meets this need 

 excellently. W. A. Noyes 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES 

 Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric 

 Electricity for September contains the foUow- 



