SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



BOQK 5TOREflD M : 



TV. 



[OHX T. CARRINGTON. 



;■■: ;-' .V.,v:. 3y G. A?.:h"all 

 L:ni:u Chapman anb Hall, 



Not 



the: 



rea: 

 i: is 



neei ::r all the 

 the subject in 

 real :b;ect ::' 1 



:: :he bearing 



ll1TTI*V*lf TO TP 1 ^' 



books through half of which 

 tfore coming to its object. 

 f is lost labour, for we find 

 rhich will be new to some 

 he- author is correct, though 

 when he s:a:es ' T: many, 



lation of facts bearing on 

 moiety of his book. The 

 3 work is to draw attention 



;.:i;r ;- mar. in aiapthcg 

 tacks of various forms of 

 t it is a branch of study of 



h has net been snbuciemlv 



mvesttg: 

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::ei by 



use ::" 



tut cm car 



mews :r 



ma: :: me wc: 

 — us: be by : 



:he excessive 

 icrmb imprar: 

 s:a:e ::' public 



s:cer ur_::_ :: 

 5 :m e ;:' :be 

 baring Lr.i. a 

 s:a:e ::' pnbli 

 arc argum en 

 alt: cemer :he 

 by tbirmmg p; 



ernative :s namra. se 

 rorld will never be t 

 urs: bee- thcrcughl 

 5 pripcnnbei in mis 

 says, are contrary to t 

 inion. His statement 

 re well worth follow 



Hj ■>".■:■::::■:•■ i 

 E:~a?.: 5-7: 

 Illustrate! by 

 r.eeve =:.i 1: 



Any work o 

 aculeate :r = 

 Mr Ei~ ari 

 sure :: ::mu 

 -"-- — : -.- rre 

 ir.se::; a: 21: 

 authority :r. ; 

 rreser: :r : 

 l-:r.:- leb.e ::' 

 striies s:r.:e 

 ha~e a stands 



of the British Islands. By 

 .L.S. 400 pp. demy 8vo. 

 ilain plates. (London : L. 



m arm : :uer ~~ use 

 ra, which bears 



:be :i:ie-ra:e is 



author. This 



should give a great impetus to future investigations 

 into one of the highest orders in intelligence among 

 insects. It is a group which is easily worked, with 

 materials accessible to all who search for them. The 

 number of species is not large, so they may soon 

 be learned by an attentive beginner. The oppor- 

 tunities for research into the habits, intelligence 

 and economy of the British aculeata are almost 

 unlimited, and the possible results of enquiry may 

 be extraordinary. Altogether the study of these 

 insects is one to be highly recommended, now that 

 Mr. Saunders has issued the work before us 



Chats about British Birds. By J. W Tutt, 

 F.E.S. 209 pp. 8vo, illustrated by 93 figures. 

 (London : George Gill and Sons. 1S96.) Price 

 23. :!. 



This little book is one of the " Hedgerow and 

 Woodland Series," and is evidently written for 

 those who may " read as they run,' : for it appears 

 to have been compiled in haste. It is a gossiping 

 account of " British " birds for young people. 

 Among the birds are mentioned and figured Savi's 

 warbler (Acrocephalus luscinoides), river warbler (A. 

 fiuviatilis), fantail warbler {A. cisticola), penduline 

 titmouse {Parus peniulinus) , golden oriole and nest, 

 roller, bee-eater, bittern, white stork, passenger 

 pigeon, crane, and some others which the young 

 ornithologist is not likely to meet with in a 

 wild state in Britain, at least not whilst he is still 

 young. Some of the figures are far from good ; 

 take figure 31 — it would have been well to have 

 stated that the nest is not that of the bullfinch. 

 We are glad that there is an inscription under 

 figure So, otherwise we should not have recognised 

 the bird as a common ptarmigan, as it was 

 probably drawn from another species. We do 

 not find the author's usual success in this book ; 

 perhaps he has got above, or below, his own 

 plane 



Manual of Lithology. ~E>y Edward H. Williams, 

 Jr., E.M., F.G.S.A. Second edition. 418 pp. 

 royal 8vc, illustrated by six plates. (New York : 

 J. Wiley and Sons. London : Chapman and Hall, 

 Limited. 1895.) Price 12s. 6d. 



This book, well known in its first edition, appears 

 again with additions. It deals with the science of 

 lithology in especial reference to megascopic 

 analysis. To quote from the preface to the second 

 edition, " The microscope has forced lithology and 

 petrography so widely apart that the layman is 

 often at a loss to recognize old acquaintances 

 under new names." A good arrangement in this 

 book is the use of a capital M for whatever can 

 be seen by the eye with the aid of a lens, signifying 

 megascopic" examination, as against that requir- 

 ing a microscope to investigate, which is indicated 

 by a small m, for "microscopic." The work is 

 also designed for engineers who have to study 

 rocks for economic purposes ; but the reader is 

 supposed to be practiced in the use of the blowpipe 

 and ordinary methods of chemical analysis. The 

 plates are models of what such illustrations should 

 be like. 



Missouri Geological Survey. Vols, iv., v., vi., vii. 

 1,400 pp. royal 8vo, illustrated by 97 plates, maps, 

 and many figures in letterpress. (Jefferson City : 

 State Department for Geology. 1894.) 



We have recently received these handsome 

 volumes, which reflect the highest credit upon 

 Mr. Charles Rollin Kleyes, A.M., Ph.D., the State 

 Geologist of Missouri. Volumes iv. and v. are 

 devoted to the palaeontology of Missouri, and are 

 profusely illustrated by fifty-six plates. Practical, 



