76 Miscellaneous. 



natural history should he rendered almost useless, by a set of 

 hooks written by persons who know nothing of natural history, 

 and who cannot spell. or write their own language." We have 

 not ourselves seen the book, but have no doubt at all of the cor- 

 rectness of the above estimate of its merits. 



Ocean and River Gardens ; a history of the marine and fresh- 

 water Aquaria. By H. Noel Humphreys. 1 vol., 12mo., 

 with 18 colored plates, pp. 219. Price 10s. 6d. London : 

 S. Low & Co. 



The Athenceum's remarks above quoted, apply with even more 

 force to this work, than to the one for which they were intended. 

 It would be hard to find within any pair of boards devoted to 

 natural history a greater number of erroneous views, unscientific 

 descriptions, and errors of all sorts, than are perpetrated by our 

 author under the cloak of a pretended scientific knowledge, and 

 a grandiloquent style. Mr. Humphries had better return to his 

 illuminated missals and his coins, and leave natural history to ori- 

 ginal observers ; he may be a numismatologist and probably a 

 colourist, but assuredly he is no naturalist. 



Popular History of the Aquarium of marine and fresh-water 

 Animals and Plants. By Geokge Brettingham Sowerby, 

 F.L. S. 1 vol., 16 mo. pp. 327, with 20 colored plates. 

 London : Lovell Reeve. Price half a guinea. 



"We anxiously waited more than a year for this book, with high 

 expectations as to the value of the observations of an accomplished 

 natural history draughtsman, upon the objects of his pencil. We 

 regret to say that in it we have been grievously disappointed. A 

 great part of the book is taken from the writings of other men. 

 Gosse, Harvey and Forbes, being largely drawn upon, and even 

 Hugh Miller occasionally quoted. And his original observations 

 meagre as they are, are so filled with errors, that were it not for 

 the plates, which are for the most part excellent, we would feel 

 bound to pronounce the book worthless. As it is we can recom- 

 mend no one to invest so much money in so little science. 



The Aquavivarium, fresh and marine. By E. Lanka ster, M.D. 

 a small 12 mo. vol., pp. 71, with plates and wood engrav- 

 ings. London : Hardwick. Price Is. 6d. 



Exclusive of the writings of Mr. Gosse, this little book is to our 



