JTOY 17, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



81 



(3) or it may result from the variation of the 

 static magnetic field at the earth, that other 

 energy derived from the electro-magnetic field 

 is more or less readily absorbed in the atmos- 

 phere than it would otherwise be. Whatever the 

 mechanism is, there is a synchronous depend- 

 ence of terrestrial elements upon the solar 

 energy to be accounted for in the solution of the 



cosmical problem. 



Frank H. Bigelow. 

 Washington, D. C. 



SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 

 A GENERAL HAND-BOOK OP BUTTERFLIES. 



A Hand-book to the Order Lepidoptera, Part I. 



Butterflies. Ry W. F. Kirby, 2 Vols. 



London, W. H. Allen & Co. 1894, 1896. 



(Allen's Naturalists' Library, edited by R. 



Bowdler Sharpe.) 



This work is a rewriting of Duncan's two 

 volumes on British and Foreign Butterflies in 

 the old issue of Jardine's Naturalists' Library of 

 sixty years ago, the principal point common to 

 the two being the sixty odd plates, the color- 

 ing of which, we regret to say, is far inferior 

 in the present issue. A few new plates are 

 added, and the British species are very fully il- 

 lustrated, for woodcuts from Newman's work 

 are also introduced. 



The plan of the new edition is, however, very 

 much better, for the old British and Foreign 

 volumes are combined in one series and make 

 a systematic presentation of the subject to 

 which the old series did not aspire. The intro- 

 duction is largely rewritten, the memoirs of 

 Lamarck and Werner (!) omitted, and the body 

 of the work has a continuity which is much 

 more evident than in the old and actually forms 

 a hand-book to our present knowledge. It is, 

 however, too formal to be as useful as it might 

 be, and quite too much space is given to syn- 

 onomy, which in a woi'k of this sort is quite 

 out of place or should be reduced to its lowest 

 possible terms. The affinities of the different 

 groups are not made evident as they should be 

 in a hand-book, so that it is a guide to a knowl- 

 edge of names rather than to a knowledge of 

 structure. The early stages are not neglected, 

 but are dealt with in too general terms to make 

 the work of any value as to them ; and what 



might have been a seductive guide to the study 

 of butterflies savors too strongly of the Cata- 

 logue. 



Mr. Kirby has, in fact, rather missed an ex- 

 cellent chance ; notwithstanding which he has 

 produced a useful book for the museum and 

 cabinet, which reflects prevalent- views of the 

 classification of butterflies and presents the 

 whole in a systematic and orderly fashion. The 

 first volume contains the Introduction and the 

 Nymphalidse, the second the remaining families, 

 excepting the Hesperidse, which did not appear 

 at all in Jardine's series, and which are here 

 relegated to a third volume, with the higher 

 moths yet to appear. The whole series of the 

 Lepidoptera is contemplated to occupy five vol- 

 umes. The printing is very unequal and in 

 some places execrable, though the type is good. 

 Samuel H. Scudder. 



The University Geological Survey of Kansas. Con- 

 ducted under authority of the Board of Re- 

 gents of the University of Kansas. By 

 Erasmus Haworth and assistants. Vol. I. , 

 1896. pp. xii + 320, text figures 11, plates 

 XXXI. Topeka, Kansas. 

 During the last few years the State Univer- 

 sity of Kansas, under the liberal and progress- 

 ive administration of Chancellor Snow, and 

 through the zeal of its geological professors, 

 has begun a geological survey of the State. 

 The above work is the first volume of this sur- 

 vey, in which is described the stratigraphy of 

 the Coal Measures and Permian of Kansas. 



To a large extent this is pioneer woi'k cover- 

 ing the eastern third of the State, and is the 

 first accurate detailed report of the geology of 

 this region that has ever been published. It is 

 stated that a companion volume will describe 

 'the stratigraphy of the Cretaceous and the 

 Tertiary in a similar manner.' 



The men associated with Professsor Haworth 

 as assistants for the present volume are Rev. 

 John Bennett, Prof. E. B. Knerr and Messrs. 

 M. Z. Kirk, George I. Adams and John G. 

 Hall; Of the fifteen chapters composing the 

 work, seven are credited to the assistants, one 

 is by Prof. Haworth and Mr. Bennett, and the 

 remaining by Prof. Haworth. 



The first eight chapters are devoted to de- 



