262 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. XXII. No. 562 



that it has been found necessary to divide it into two 

 volumes, the first volume discussing the morphology 

 and physiology of plants, and the second volume the 

 morphology and physiology of animals. In addition to 

 various changes and expansions in the text, many new 

 t}'pes have been added in the second edition. The 

 most important of these new types are Vaucheria, 

 Selaginella, Gregarina, Taenia, Ascaris, Hirudo, An- 

 phioxus, and chapters upon plant cells and tissues, upon 

 fish, upon geographical distribution, and one chapter 

 devoted to man. In the groups of flowering plants also 

 there have been very many additions, so that the whole 

 new edition is nearly twice as iarge as the original. 

 Perhaps the most valuable additions that have been 

 made in the new edition have been in the sections upon 

 physiology and development. In nearly every case has 

 the physiology of the types been rewritten and ex- 

 panded, and this is true also of the sections on develop- 

 ment. Several additional sections upon the subiect of 

 Cytology, including cell development, fertilization, etc., 

 have been added bodily to the work. 



This book on biology is excessively compact, and 

 there is crowded within these two volumes an amount 

 of information and discussion which is certainly beyond 

 that which can be accomplished b)^ classes in our insti- 

 tutions. The book is designed, however, especially for 

 certain phases in English education, and not for educa- 

 tion in our schools. It is supposed to be accompanied 

 by laboratory work, and the author has hopes that it 

 does not require the guidance of a teacher, but is in a 

 form by which it can be readily followed without guid- 

 ance. No laboratory directions are given, however, 

 and the details crowded into the sections on morphology 

 are so numerous that it seems hardly possible to hope 

 that they can be comprehended without a very long 

 course of study under the guidance of competent in- 

 structors. As a reference book, however, one cannot 

 speak too highly of this text-book, and as a treatise in 

 theoretical biology it occupies a place not filled by any 

 other English publication. 

 An Examination of Weisviannism. By George J. Ro.m.^nes. 



Chicago, Open Court Publishing Company. 



One is always delighted to receive something new 

 from the pen af Mr. Romanes, for he has demonstrated 

 by many attempts his marvelous power of writing clear 

 English and of taking abstruse subjects and dressing 

 them in the fashion that makes them not only intelligible, 

 but interesting to the ordinary reader. The little book 

 here noted is published in anticipation of the second 

 volume of "Darwin After Darwin," the publication of 

 which we are awaiting. It seems a very surprising 

 thing when one looks through the pages of this book, 

 to find Weismannism discussed without a discussion of 

 the subject of the inheritance of acquired characters, 

 for so thoroughly has the inheritance of acquired char- 

 acters come to be regarded as a part of Weismannism, 

 that one wonders how the subject can be treated with- 

 out it. But Mr. Romanes scarcely mentions this sub- 

 ject, reserving it, as he tells us, for discussion in his 

 later book. The present discussion is simply a review 

 of Weismannism as a theory of heredity and of evolu- 

 tion, and not as bearing upon the question of acquired 

 characters. In this little work we are to thank Mr. 

 Romanes especially for three features: First, the clear 

 distinction that he has drawn between the Weismannism 

 theory of heredity and his theory of evolution ; second, 

 a logical comparison of the heredity theory of Weis- 

 mann with others somewhat allied to it, especially that 

 of Galton ; and third, for the skilful marshalling of the 

 trenchant criticisms against Weismann's views, which 

 have appeared in the discussions of the last few years. 



and have led to great changes in Weismann's own 

 opinions. We are also fortimate in having given us a 

 historical view of the gradual growth of the theory as it 

 developed in the mind of its author and of the final 

 abandonment of some of the most essential features of 

 the original view. 



No word is needed in regard to the excellence of the 

 English and the plainness of the discussion, for Mr. 

 Romanes' writings always show the most clear logical 

 arrangement. The reader of this work cannot fail to 

 gain a more comprehensive view of the general theory 

 of Weismannism and its relation to biological problems, 

 and will appreciate from this discussion, better than 

 from the writings of Weismannn himself, the signifi- 

 cance of the final position adopted by Weismann. 

 The Life of a BuUerfly. By Sa.muel H. Scudder. New 

 York, Henry Holt & Co. Brief Guide to the Common 

 Butterflies of Northern United States aod Canada. By 

 Samuel H. Scudder. New York, Henry Holt & Co. 

 The object of these two books by our leading student 

 of butterflies in the East is to present certain facts in a 

 familiar way for the use of the student who is as a 

 novice interested in the study of nature. The first 

 book, of I So small pages, gives a familiar description of 

 the life of our most common and best known butterfly, 

 the so-called milkweed butterfly, presenting, in a familiar 

 and popular style, a description of the animal, of its life- 

 history, and its general relation to its surroundings and 

 to science. The author uses the example, as a basis for 

 a discussion of a few striking scientific laws, most in- 

 teresting of which will be, to the ordinary reader, the 

 study of the geographical distribution and migration of 

 animals, the subject of mimicry as shown by insects, the 

 subject of the power of vision possessed by insects, and 

 a very clear, satisfactory illustration of certain phases 

 of the general law of natural selection. The general 

 design of the book is excellent, and the style is, on the 

 whole, well adapted to the persons to whom the book 

 will appeal. It is unfortunate that no figures are in- 

 serted in the text. A small number of figures are put 

 in at the end of the book, but no reference is made to 

 them in the body of the book, and, consequentl}', the 

 reader will follow the book through without the proper 

 study of the figures which should go with the text. 

 Perhaps, also, the author has made too free a use of 

 scientific names of species of butterflies to be intelligent 

 to the ordinary reader; but, with these few points of 

 criticism, "The Life of a Butterfly," by Mr. Scudder, is 

 one of the interesting and instructive introductions to 

 nature which our scientists are at the present time en- 

 deavoring to put within the reach of the non-scientific 

 reader. 



The second book is very different in its nature, and is 

 designed to enable the student of butterflies to determine 

 the names and leai'n of the habits of all of our common 

 species of butterflies. The author has selected one 

 hundred of the commoner forms for description. The 

 introduction of the book gives a long, careful description 

 of the anatomy of a butterfly; and here, even more, it is 

 to be extremely regretted that no figures are intro- 

 duced. It is so much easier for the beginner to study 

 specimens by the aid of figures of reference that one 

 must seriously regret the lack of the introduction of 

 explanatory figures in the text which describes the 

 structure and anatomy of a butterfly. The description 

 is followed by a key for determining the species of but- 

 terflies, and this key is especially valuable, inasmuch as 

 it not only enables the student to determine the species 

 by the use of the adult butterfly, but also has separate 

 keys for determining species by the use of the cater- 

 pillar and of the chrysalis. These two secondary keys 



