Mar. 30, 1888.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEAA^S. 



503 



Buffon on evolution, nor even to the writings of a neigh- 

 bour of his in Berwickshire, Lord Kaimes. This author, 

 whom we may also ranlv as an early Scottish evolutionist, 

 published in 1776 a work entitled the "Gentleman 

 Farmer." Here he says : — " What means were employed 

 at the creation to cover the earth with plants may be 

 conjectured, but is far beyond the reach of evidence. It 

 is to me a rational conjecture that a number of plants and 

 animals were originally created and endued with proper 

 powers of generation, and from these all the plants and 

 animals existing in the world are descended." 



This passage reminds us of Darwin's view on the 

 beginning of life upon the earth, as given in the "Origin 

 of Species." Lord Kaimes had, however, evidently no 

 conception of the fundamental oneness of plants and 

 animals. 



Returning to Hutton, we find that he discusses 

 degeneracy, both in plants and animals, fully appi-eciat^ 

 ing both internal and external causes. But it is wh«n 

 treating of animal life that he approaches so closely upon 

 the doctrine of natural selection that we might almost 

 call him a Darwinian before Darwin. Thus we find the 

 following most significant passage : — 



" To see this beautiful system of animal life (which is 

 also applicable to vegetables), we are to consider that in 

 the indefinite variation of the breed the form best 

 adapted to the exercise of those instinctive arts by which 

 the species is to live will be most certainly continued, 

 and will be always tending more and more to perfect 

 itself by the natural variation which is continually taking 

 place. Thus, for example, where dogs are to live by the 

 swiftness of their feet and the sharpness of their sight, 

 the form least adapted to this m.anner of chase will be 

 the first to perish." 



If we try to give the process here described a distinct 

 name, it must assuredly be " natural selection." 



We have no reason, however, to conclude that Hutton 

 saw how far-reaching were the principles which he was 

 laying down. In any case he drew no general conclu- 

 sions. He clung almost too closely to the bare facts, 

 shutting his eyes to their ultimate bearings. Hence 

 Professor Huxley accuses him of being false to his own 

 system. 



ATMOSPHERIC DUST. 



" "p UINS of ancient cities and buildings," says the 

 -Tv Popular Science Monthly, " are nearly always 

 found wholly or partly buried. The material with which 

 they are covered has been supposed to originate in the 

 debris of buildings that have been erected and human 

 works that have been going on upon their sites, but this 

 cannot always or seldom wholly be the case ; for the 

 same fact appears in desert and wilderness sites. Much is 

 possibly due to superficial disintegration and the work 

 of vegetation, but another factor may be sought in the 

 deposition of atmospheric dust. In a paper on this 

 subject read before the Geographical Society of Paris, 

 M. Violet d'Aouest referred to Richthofen's account of a 

 vast aerial formation of loess in China, and described 

 his own observations in Mexico. Here he found on the 

 flanks of the highest mountains argillaceous strata not 

 deposited by waters nor by the decomposition of rocks, 

 but produced by dust raised by the winds from the 

 plains and deposited on the hills. These deposits varied 

 from 100 feet to — in some places — more than 300 feet 

 in thickness." 



Home Experiments in Science for Old and Young. A 

 Repertory of Simple Experiments with Home-made 

 Apparatus. Including Mechanics, General and 

 Molecular Physics, Soap-Bubbles and Capillarity ; 

 with Detailed Instructions in the Necessary Mecha- 

 nical Operations, and' Illustrations of the Experiments 

 and Apparatus. By T. O'Connor Sloane, E.M., 

 A.M., Ph.D. London : Sampson Low, Marston, 

 '■■' ; Searle and Rivington. Price 6s. 



'T|hisbook, though published in London, is evidently 01 

 American origin, as we may learn, amongst other grounds, 

 frorn the fact that American firms are mentioned as sup- 

 plying articles required in some of the experiments 

 (p. 211). Certain portions of the work bear a very strong 

 resemblance to a recent book, of Mr. Johnston Stephen, 

 ^lititled," Playground of Science." This similarity appears 

 in several of the subjects here brought forward, and even 

 in some of the illustrations. Of course, not having Mr. 

 Stephens' work before us, we have no right to say that 

 any of these, eg., figs. 43 and 45, are identical. 



In the very outset, Mr. Sloane makes some very just 

 remarks on teaching and learning science. He writes : 

 — " Natural science cannot be properly studied without 

 practical work. The mere cold statement of a fact never 

 effects the same lodgment in the mind that the experi- 

 ment performed by the observer does. ... In all 

 advanced systems of education this is fully recognised. 

 From the Kinder-Garten to the advancedUniversity course 

 practical work is the keynote of training." In England 

 tor " is " we must read " should be." 



The author recommends beginners and amateurs to 

 make their own apparatus. He even goes so far as to 

 say that "the true lover of science will learn more in 

 constructing his own apparatus for his initial studies than 

 if the goods from the store have been used by him from 

 first to last." This we may be permitted to doubt. The 

 time the beginner has at his disposal is often very limited, 

 and might, we think, in many cases be more usefully 

 employed than in making apparatus. But as regards 

 glass-blowing, and consequently the production of the 

 bulk of chemical appliances, the author takes a different 

 view. He writes : — " Frequently glass-blowing is re- 

 quired and the best general advice to be given to those 

 intending it is Sidney Smith's (?) classical advice to those 

 about to marry — " Don't." 



We find here the following distinction drawn between 

 mechanics, physics, and chemistry. Mechanics is the 

 science of mass, physics of molecules, and chemistry of 

 atoms." Now we 'can fully admit that the concern of 

 mechanics is with masses, but chemistry, we submit, has 

 very much to do with molecules. In every decomposition 

 a molecule is split up, in every re-composition or 

 synthesis a molecule is built up. 



The last chapter is directed to a subject which we 

 should certainly never expect to find here introduced, 

 viz., the art of lecturing ! Mr. Sloane writes : — " In 

 America every man should possess, in some degree, the 

 art of public speaking — the power of thinking when stand- 

 ing before an expectant body of auditors. Many owe 

 no small part of their advancement to this power ! " 



In England we have far too much speech-making, 

 speech-reporting, and speech-reading, and this excess of 

 verbiage is one of the reasons why as regards discover}^ and 

 invention we are so hard pressed by certain rival nations. 

 The scientific man very rarely, if ever, requires the art 



