i8o 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XXI. No. 530 



otber hand, that body of scientific thinkers who repudiate all 

 forms of theological truth will probably fail to have much sympa- 

 thy with the conclusions reached in these pages. No one, how- 

 ever, who has a thoughtful mind can fail to find much of interest 

 and significance in this trenchent discussion of the interpretation 

 of nature by Professor Shaler. 



Formation of the Union, 1750-1823. By Albert Bushnell Hart. 

 New York, Longmans, Green & Co. $1.35. 

 This is the second volume in the series of Epochs of American 

 History, and is by the editor of the series. It is written in an 

 excellent narrative style, clear and bright, and much more care- 

 fully finished than the style of most of our younger historians. It 

 is not well adapted for beginners, since it can hardly be under- 

 stood and appreciated without some previous knowledge of the 

 period it covers. For those who possess such knowledge, how- 

 ever, even in outline, this book will be both entertaining and 

 useful. It is devoted, as the author in his preface remarks, to 

 "the study of causes rather than of events, the development of 

 the American nation out of scattered and inharmonious colonies." 

 Though it embraces the period of the Revolution and the War of 

 1812, it contains very little military history, the author holding 

 that, though military movements are of great interest to pro- 

 fessional soldiers, "the layman needs to know rather what were 

 the means, the character, and the spirit of the two combatants in 

 each case, and why one succeeded where the other was defeated." 

 The causes of the Revolution are set forth with great clearness in 

 a brief space; the true character of the struggle is pointed out ; 

 and the reasons for the success of the Americans are made ap- 

 parent. Then follows a lucid exposition of the difficulties and 

 distresses which showed the necessity of a stronger national gov- 

 ernment, and of the successful efiEorts of the wisest leaders in 

 framing and establishing such a government. Professor Hart, 

 however, saw clearly that, though the Union was now formed, it 

 was not yet securely founded: and so he follows its fortunes 



through the trying periods of Washington's, Adam's, and Jeffer- 

 son's administrations, and even for many years after. The result 

 is a philosophical view, comprehensive and clear, though neces- 

 sarily brief, of the formation of the Federal Union and of its early 

 struggles for recognition abroad and security at home. The 

 growth of the national territory from the peace of 1783 to the last 

 acquisition from Mexico in 1853 is shown in a map, and several 

 other maps illustrate other aspects of the period under review. 

 We commend Professor Hart's book to students of American his- 

 tory as an excellent review of an important period. 



Proof of Evolution . 

 H. Kerr & Co. 



By Nelson C. Parshall. Chicago, Charles 



This little book is one of a series of popular lectures given be- 

 fore the Brooklyn Ethical Association. As a popular lecture it 

 was bright, interesting, and instructive, though somewhat flip- 

 pant and inclined to sacrifice logic for effect. One cannot but 

 regret that the author ever committed it to print. It tries to 

 cover the whole ground of evolution, astronomical, geological, 

 and biological, and all in the course of 60 brief pages. One can- 

 not but have a feeling of dissatisfaction upon reading the book. 

 The subjects are of necessity too briefly treated to be intelligible, 

 aad show too frequently a failure of appreciation of the results 

 of recent science. Perhaps the book may have one purpose that 

 the author desires, of making its readers hungry for more, but 

 it certainly cannot give one any adequate idea of the subjects 

 outlined. 



AMONG THE PUBLISHERS. 



The Open Court Company of Chicago have published a beok 

 by Dr. Paul Carus, entitled "Truth in Fiction." It consists of 

 tvpelve short stories of various types, and all designed to impress 

 some moral or philosophical lesson, and particularly to illustrate 



CALENDAR OF SOCIETIES. 

 Anthropological Society, Washington. 



Mar. 28. — Major John W. Powell, A 

 System of Psychology (continuation of for- 

 mer paper). 



Biological Society, Washington. 



Mar. 25. — L. M. McCormick, A Hybrid 

 Between Pyranga rubra and Pyranga ery- 

 thromelas; E W. Doran, Development of 

 the Intestine of Tadpoles; Theabald Smith, 

 The Bacteriology of Potomac Water and 

 its Bearing on Sanitary Problems; B. T. 

 Galloway, Experiments in Preventing Rusts 

 Affecting Cereals. 



Philosophical Society, Washington. 



Apr. 1. — O T. Mason, The Philosophy of 

 Folk-Lore; W. H. Dall, A Miocene Climate 

 in Arctic Siberia; F. H. Bigelow, The Model 

 Globe, Showing the Magnetic Forces that 

 Produce the Diurnal Variations of the 

 Needle. 



Nev7 York Academy of Sciences, Biologi- 

 cal Section. 



Mar. 13. — Professor T. D. Quackenbos, in 

 a paper on the Saibling of Lake Sunapee, 

 distinguishes in this a fourth variety of 

 New England charr, demonstrating that 

 the present abundance of this Salvelinus is 

 accounted for not from its introduction and 

 natural increase, but from destruction of 

 inimical forms within recent years, which 



has given a greater available food-supply. 

 Professor G. S. Huntington, on ''Anomalies 

 of Pectoralis major and minor," referred to 

 the value of these as often presenting re- 

 versions. He emphasized the evolutionary 

 tendency in man to proximalization of the 

 points of attachment of the shoulder muscle 

 group, referred to cleavage variations ir 

 anterior portion of brachio-sphalio sheet, 

 and compared these with ontogenetic char- 

 acters in anthropoids. Human anomalies 

 in this group are best interpreted by cyno- 

 cephaloids, and not by the higher forms. 

 Professor E. B. Wilson, " On Regeneration 

 and the Mosaic Theory of Development." 

 presented a brief critique on the latest re- 

 sults of Roux and Weismann. 



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