March 29, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



239 



that are retained do not seem to us of any particular value, while 

 one of them is of doubtful expediency : we mean his use of the 

 term " privative attribute." This term has always been used to mean 

 the absence of an attribute where it was once present or might be 

 expected to be present ; but Mr. Stock uses it to mean the absence 

 of an attribute in a thing that might have it, as when a dish is 

 called " empty." The execution of the work is in the main good ; 

 the style of expression, in particular, being very clear. The least 

 satisfactory part in this respect is that relating to the syllogism, 

 which, as in most other logical works, contains too much technical 

 matter, and does not present a sufficient number of concrete ex- 

 amples to illustrate the principles. But while Mr. Stock's mastery 

 of the forms of reasoning is complete, he has some views as to its 

 nature and validity which can hardly pass unchallenged. Thus, he 

 says that " inductive inferences are either wholly instinctive, and so 

 unsusceptible of logical vindication, or else they may be exhibited 

 under the form of deductive inferences (p. 128). And again he 

 affirms that " no inductive inference can ever attain more than a high 

 degree of probability ; whereas a deductive inference is certain, but 

 its certainty is purely hypothetical (p. 130). If this is true, the 

 human intellect is in a bad way. Hence, without meaning to de- 

 tract from the merits of Mr. Stock's work, we would suggest that 

 what the world needs at the present time is not a new presentation 

 of the forms of reasoning, but a deeper study of the nature of rea- 

 soning and of the principles on which it depends. 



Botany for Academies and Colleges. By ANNIE Chambers- 

 KetCHUM, A.m. Philadelphia, Lippincott. 12'=. %i. 



The course of study in these lessons is based upon the inductive 

 method of A. L. de Jussieu. Beginning with cryptogamia, plant- 

 development is gradually unfolded, from the green stain on the 

 door-stone to magnolia and clematis. Although the natural system 

 is followed by the author, there are some departures from the 

 method of Jussieu, its founder. This is recognized by the author, 

 who, however, expresses the opinion that if Jussieu had lived to 

 learn the lessons of the fossils, as well as other late discoveries in 

 science, he would have been the first to advocate an arrangement 

 which is so logical because it is so natural. 



Jn addition to structural botany, which includes morphology, 

 physiology, phytotomy or plant anatomy, and chemistry, syste- 

 matic botany is concisely dealt with. The rules for nomenclature 

 and pronunciation are especially deserving of mention. A manual 

 of plants, including all the known orders with their representative 

 genera, forms the second part of the volume. It is, of course, merely 

 an outline of the 150,000 or more known species of plants, but it ap- 

 pears to be very complete. An excellent index and well-executed 

 illustrations render this book one of the best for teaching purposes 

 which we have seen. 



A History of Eighteenth Century Literature. By EDMUND 

 GosSE. London and New York, Macmillan. 12"^. $1.75. 



This is the third volume of the history of English literature 

 which the publishers are now issuing, the second volume of which 

 was noticed in Science when it appeared. The different volumes 

 are by different writers, each chosen for his special acquaintance 

 with the period to be dealt with, and the first and fourth volumes 

 are not yet published. The present work covers the period from 

 1660 to 1780, — a period, as the author remarks, not exactly con- 

 terminous with the eighteenth century, but nevertheless forming a 

 distinct chronological division in the history of Errglish literature. 

 The work is in the main well done, though it cannot be said to 

 have any special charm of style. Its principal defect, according to 

 our thinking, is the disproportionate attention it gives to insignifi- 

 cant writers, many pages being devoted to an account of works that 

 are never read now except by a very small number of literary spe- 

 cialists. Mr. Gosse justly remarks that the principal work of the 

 period under review was "to reform and regulate ordinary writing." 

 The prose of the preceding age had been involved and clumsy to 

 an extraordinary degree, and it was during the latter part of the 

 seventeenth century that Englishmen first began to write in a style 

 similar to that of the present day ; while some of the writers of the 

 eighteenth century have hardly been surpassed since. Another 



" notable work of the eighteenth century itself was the creation of 

 the novel ; and Mr. Gosse gives careful attention to both these, 

 literary developments. The principal figures in the literature of the- 

 period are, in Mr. Gosse's opinion, Dryden, Swift, and Johnson, 

 though it would seem that Richardson, as the inventor of the 

 novel, was entitled to equal rank. The greatest master of prose 

 style, Mr. Gosse thinks, was the metaphysician Berkeley. It must 

 be understood, however, that the book does not deal with philo- 

 sophical and scientific writers except with reference to their style. 

 In his last chapter the author considers the relation of the English 

 literature of the period to that of the Continent, — a subject that 

 we should have been glad to see more largely treated. 



Insects Injurious to Fruits. By William Saunders, F.R.S.C. 

 2d ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott. 12°. $2. 



The first edition of this book appeared in 1883. The experience 

 of Mr. Saunders as director of the Experimental Farms of the 

 Dominion of Canada, and as editor of the Canadian Entomologist, 

 would lead us to expect a valuable contribution from his pen. In 

 this expectation we are not disappointed. The matter of the origi- 

 nal edition was as complete as it could well be made. Since it 

 appeared, additional facts have come to light, and in the second 

 edition we have these facts embodied. For those who are not 

 familiar with this admirable treatise, we will give a brief outline of 

 its plan and contents. 



The cultivation of fruit in America has now become such a 

 matter of importance that every one, whether grower or consumer, 

 is interested in the discovery of every thing which hinders or pro- 

 motes this great industry. One of the most important factors is 

 insect-life. Injurious insects are so universally distributed that 

 there is no part of this continent where fruit-culture can be profitably 

 carried on without some effort being made to subdue them. But 

 all insects are not injurious. There are friendly species as well as 

 those that are inimical. Indeed, it is to these friendly ones that 

 nature has assigned the task of keeping in subjection those that 

 are destructive, by devouring either their bodies or their eggs. 

 Thus it becomes a matter of great importance that the fruit-grower 

 should be able to distinguish between friend and foe, lest, in his 

 efforts to destroy the latter, he may be depriving himself of his 

 strongest ally. Until Mr. Saunders took this subject in hand, the- 

 fruit-grower was obliged to search for much of his information in. 

 State and departmental reports, or in books on scientific entomol- 

 ogy. In these volumes the practical knowledge is so much en- 

 cumbered with scientific and other details as to make the acquisi- 

 tion of it too laborious a process for those whose time is so fully 

 occupied as is that of the practical fruit-grower. In the book 

 before us the author has endeavored to bring together all the im- 

 portant facts relating to insects known to be injurious to fruits in 

 all parts of Canada and the United States. His experience as a 

 fruit-grower and student of entomology for nearly thirty years has 

 enabled him to succeed in his self-appointed task, and to present 

 the results in a concise manner, and as free from scientific phrase- 

 ology as is possible. In the arrangement of the subject, the author 

 has adopted the plan of grouping together the insects injurious to a 

 particular tree or plant. Thus, under the heading, " Insects Inju- 

 rious to the Apple," we find all the known species inimical to this 

 fruit-tree. These main headings are still further subdivided into 

 those which treat of the insects which attack the roots of the apple- 

 tree, those which attack the trunk, the branches, the leaves, and the 

 fruit. Each of these is fully illustrated, so that the determination 

 of any injurious species is rendered comparatively easy. The species 

 having been identified, the methods to be adopted for its destruc- 

 tion are described. The plan is not only an admirable one from a 

 theoretical point of view, but that it is also a practical one, and one 

 which meets the wants of those interested, is demonstrated by the 

 demand for a second edition. Not less worthy of commendation 

 is the execution of the work. An author's best efforts are often 

 rendered nugatory by the parsimony of his publisher, who is un- 

 willing to provide the necessary illustrations or such paper and type 

 as will make the book attractive. In this respect there can no 

 fault be found by Mr. Saunders. The execution of the work is- 

 excellent in all respects, making its perusal a pleasant as well as a, 

 profitable task. 



