May 22, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



819 



the subzonal layer is the ectoderm and that 

 the inner mass is the entoderm,' whereas it is 

 well established that the subzonal layer forms 

 the ectoderm of the chorion (possibly also its 

 mesoderm in some forms) only, and that the 

 inner mass forms all of the tissues of the em- 

 bryo proper as well as the yolk-sac. The 

 mesoderm is described as arising by a process 

 of delamination in birds, reptiles, elasmo- 

 branchs and mammals : ' It is safe to say that 

 the mesoderm probably arises by this process, 

 which we call delamination in all vertebrates ' 

 (p. 74). It would be difficult to make a more 

 misleading statement concerning the origin 

 of the mesoderm in vertebrates. The neces- 

 sity for condensation affords no excuse, as the 

 admirably clear, accurate and brief statement 

 on the same subject in McMurrich's new 

 manual demonstrates. 



Such sweeping statements as the two follow- 

 ing are at least regrettable : 'It is fortunate for 

 our comprehension of embryological processes 

 that we are already able to say that Eoux's 

 hypothesis is erroneous,' referring to the 

 mosaic theory of the segmented ovum; we 

 know, as a matter of fact, that certain ova 

 (e. g., of Ctenophores) are true mosaics; and 

 the general bearing of recent embryological 

 results is that all ova are more or less mosaic, 

 in an unstable fashion. On page 41 we are told 

 that Weismann's hypotheses are 'complicated' 

 and ' useless ' ; not to mention the stimulus 

 they have given to research, this sounds 

 strange on the eve of a general rehabilitation 

 of such hypotheses in cormection with Men- 

 del's laws of inheritance. 



The book contains too many bad misprints 

 and similar errors ; e. g., page 19 : 'In mammals 

 there are always four pairs (of gill pouches) 

 on each side ' ; page 29, ' latter ' for ' former ' 

 in the second line of the last paragraph ; page 

 63, first line. Fig. 23 does not show the struct- 

 ure referred to ; page 63, another erroneous 

 figure reference in the second sentence of the 

 last paragraph ; page 91 ' ectoderm ' for ' ento- 

 derm ' middle of page ; page 105, ' unguiculate ' 

 for ' ungulate,' last sentence of third para- 

 graph : page 113, ' three months ' for 'three 

 weeks,' second line from bottom of first para- 



graph. These are only a few instances of 

 many. 



Finally a protest should be entered against 

 the use of the German word 'Anlage ' to de- 

 note ' rudiment,' and especially against such 

 a hybrid monstrosity as ' deck-plate ' for ' roof- 

 plate,' the first component being German and 

 the second English. Frank E. Lillib. 



Handbook of Climatology. Part I., General 

 Climatology. By Dr. Julius Hann, Pro- 

 fessor of Cosmical Physics in the Univer- 

 sity of Vienna. Translated by Robert 

 DeCourcy Ward, Assistant Professor of 

 Climatology in Harvard University. New 

 York and London, The Macmillan Co. 

 English readers interested in the climate 

 of the earth will welcome the translation of 

 the most important portion of the ' Handbuch 

 der Klimatologie ' by Dr. Hann, who now by 

 general consent is accepted as the leading 

 authority on this matter in the world. But 

 the new English edition is more than a trans- 

 lation, and it would have been clearer had the 

 title read translated and revised. Professor 

 Ward has taken great pains to bring all the 

 matter down to date. Besides his own large 

 reading on the subject he has consulted such 

 experts as Professor F. W. Very, Professor 

 W. M.. Davis and Professor E. W. Wilson,, 

 and then referred all criticism and suggested 

 changes or additions to Dr. Hann, who has 

 passed upon them or revised them, and thus 

 given the weight of his authority to the 

 matter, so that the book becomes essentially 

 a revised edition including more American 

 examples than the original. The preface says 

 that, " Most of the examples given, however, 

 necessarily still relate to Europe, because the 

 climatology of that continent has been studied 

 more critically than that of any other region. 

 A few cuts have been made where the discus- 

 sion concerned matters of special interest to> 

 European students only. Most of the para- 

 graph headings are new, and the arrangement 

 of parts, sections and chapters is somewhat- 

 different from that in the original. These- 

 changes have been made with a view to adapt- 

 ing the book better for use in the class-room. 

 Every change that has been made has the fulL 



