BOOK NOTICES. 



Birds-Nesting. By Ernest Ingersoll, i2mo. pp. no. Salem, Mass., Geo. 

 A. Bates, 1882, $1.00. For sale by the Nauralist's Bureau. 



This little volume, made up from a series of articles by the prolific and al- 

 ways entertaining and instructive author, first published in the columns of Science 

 News, is intended for a hand book of instruction in gathering and presuming the 

 nests and eggs of birds for the purposes of study. 



The topics are Field Work, in which instructions are given for discovering 

 nests, on the habits of birds, naming eggs, etc. ; Preparation of Specimens, in- 

 cluding descriptions and illustrations of the various implements used ; How to 

 construct and arrange the Cabinet ; Lists of birds whose nidification is unknown; 

 Bird architecture; the whole concluding with a full index. 



To amateur collectors, or even to experts, this book will be found eminently 

 useful, while to the casual reader it will be found to possess much of interest. 



John Inglesant, a Romance. By J. Henry Shorthouse, i2mo. pp. 445 : Mac- 

 Millan & Co., New York, 1882. For sale by M. H. Dickinson, $1.00. 



This might just as well be termed a historical novel, but since the author 

 prefers to call it a philosophical romance, the reader may take his choice, but 

 under either title he will find it an unusually attractive story, not only from its 

 historical truthfulness, its skillful management of characters and plot, but also 

 from the strictness with which the philosophical element is kept in view at all 

 times. The author says on this point, " In books where fiction is used dnly to 

 introduce philosophy, I believe that that it is not to be expected, that human life 

 is to be described simply as such. The characters are, so to speak, sublimated, 

 they are only introduced for a set purpose and having fulfilled this purpose — 

 were it only to speak half a dozen words — they vanish from the stage." If this 

 be his only purpose, he has succeeded admirably in masking his object with an ac- 

 curacy of description, a selection of important and thrilling events in history and 

 a fascinating style of writing, so that many if not most readers will find the 

 romance per se rather than the philosophical lesson the prominent feature. 



First Lessons in Geology. By Prof. A. S. Packard, Jr., Brown University. 

 Octavo, pp. 128, illustrated. Providence Lithograph Co., Providence, R, 

 I., 1882. 



This is a text book to accompany a series of hthographic charts known as the 

 Chautauqua Scientific Diagrams, Series No. i. Geology. It is written in a clear 

 and popular style, while Professor Packard's connection with it guarantees its cor- 

 rectness beyond question. The charts are of large size, fairly executed and a 

 very excellent aid to a lecturer or teacher in illustrating his subject. There are 

 ten in number, beginning with the Action of Water, including glaciers, canons, 

 etc., then the Action of Heat including volcanoes, geysers, earthquakes, etc. 

 America during the silurian, devonian, carboniferous, triassic and Jurassic, ere- 



