SCIENCE-GOSSII'. 



39 



The time has, in our opinion, lonf; since arrived 

 for the formation of an important society of those 

 who have an interest in variation ; a centre where 

 records could be received, tabulated and system- 

 atically dealt with. Such would be a long stride 

 on this path to the discovery of the Origin of 

 Species, so ably laid open to us by Mr. Bateson in 

 his new work. J. T. C. 



The Country, Month by Month. March. By J. A. 

 Owen and Professor G. S. Boulgek. 63 pp., 8vo. 

 Price is. in paper covers, 2s. in cloth. (London : 

 Bliss, Sands and Foster, 1894.) 



The publishers of this work are issuing a series 

 of twelve volumes, each representing one month in 

 the country. The contents of this, the first of these 

 elegant little brochures — for they are no more — 

 relate to March. They are avowedly written with 

 the object of trying to direct the observation of 

 lovers of Nature, busy dwellers in towns more 

 especially, by telling them of some of the sights 

 that they may expect to find in their country 

 wanderings month by month. To those who 

 know the literary work of "J. A. Owen," will be 

 added another interest in turning over these pages. 

 The style may be described as a pleasant blend of 

 Richard Jeffries and Gilbert White, prettily written 

 accompaniments for country walks. The cloth 

 edition is a charming effort of the modern book- 

 binder's art, and just the present to give to boy or 

 girl with a taste for country sights or sounds. 



Our Country's Birds and How to Know them. A 

 Guide to all the Birds of Great Britain. By W. J. 

 Gordon. With illustrations, in colour, of every 

 species, and many original diagrams by G. Willis 

 and R. E. Holding. 160 pp. 8vo, and 33 plates. 

 Price 6s. (London: Day & Son; and Simpkin, 

 Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Limited.) 



Our Country's Flowers mid How to Know them : being 

 a complete Guide to the Flowers and Ferns of 

 Britain. By W.J. Gordon, with an Introduction by 

 the Rev. George Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. 

 Illustrated by John Allen with over a thousand 

 examples in colour and outline. 160 pp. and 33 

 plates. Price 6s. (London : Day & Son ; and 

 Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Limited.) 



These two books by Mr. W. J. Gordon are 

 examples of how much information may be got 

 into a space no larger than will go into the col- 

 lector's breast-pocket. The letterpress is remark- 

 ably concise and well-arranged for the convenience 

 of field-students. They are useful hand-books 

 for out-door work. 



The Flowering Plants of Western India. By the Rev. 

 Alexander Kvd Nairne. 448pp.,8vo. (London: 

 W. H. Allen & Co., Limited.) Price 7s. 6d. net. 



This work is a manual in the ordinary sense, 

 and is founded upon Sir J. Hooker's great work 

 upon the flora of British India. Other floras are 

 also referred to, such as Dalzell and Gibson's " Bom- 

 bay Flora," Graham's " Plants of Bombay," and 

 Roxburgh's "Flora Indica." A valuable feature 

 of the book is the including of native names for the 

 plants described such as Pila champa and cham- 

 paka for the magnolia, whence comes its specific 

 name in science. Naturalised plants are also 

 included in this useful manual of the plants of a 

 most interesting region. 



The Out-Door World ; or, Young Collectors' Hand- 

 book. By W. Furneaux, F.R.G.S. Svo, 519 pp., 

 with 16 coloured plates and over 500 illustrations 

 in the text. Price 7s. 6d. (London : Longmans, 

 Green and Co., 1893.) 



In taking up this book, we are inclined to 

 think that there is plenty for the money. It 

 illustrates and apparently treats of most biological 

 subjects. For one generally interested in Natural 

 History and unattached to any especial division 

 or natural order, this work will prove a con- 

 stant source of interest. When, however, a more 

 perfect knowledge of any group is attained, the 

 work will no longer be a necessity. It is hardly 

 to be expected that any man should, unaided, 

 do more than compile such a work, and, in 

 doing so, he must largely depend upon the works 

 of others. In selecting these, without an intimate 

 knowledge of each branch of study, it is possible to 

 collate from those which are out of date in facts, 

 and especially in nomenclature. Further, in seeing 

 the work through the press, cases of inaccurate 

 spelling of scientific names unfamiliar to the 

 author are easily passed without correction. This 

 book in many places shows such evidence ; and it 

 would be well if the publishers had it carefullv 

 revised by specialists in some departments before 

 issuing a new edition. In the chapter on moths 

 there is an easy absence of generic names. As a 

 rule the wood blocks are good, though often rather 

 too heavily printed. Many are old friends, whom 

 we have met when wandering through other pages, 

 though none the worse, but often better, for that. 

 As is so frequently the case, the coloured plates 

 are more or less failures, and often misleading. It 

 varieties, and even aberrations, as represented <>n 

 some of these plates ever occurred in a state of 

 nature, they would be highly prized by collecturs. 

 We must, therefore, warn the uninitiated not to 

 expect to find such types as are often represented 

 in colour in Mr. Furneaux's work — -for instance, 

 on plates vii. and viii. How much more satis- 

 factory are uncoloured plates may be seen by 

 referring to those marked xiv. and xv., where 

 colour would probably have destroyed any chance 

 of identification. Still, with numerous faults, this 

 work is one that deserves a large circulation, 

 especially among the young. 



Manures and the Principles of Manuring. Bj C M 

 Airman, B.Sc, F.R.S.E., Professor of Chemistry 

 at Glasgow Veterinary College. 592 pp., 8vo 

 (Edinburgh and London, 1894 : William Blackwood 

 and Sons.) No price stated. 



This important function of modern agriculture 

 is treated in a highly scientific and elaborate 

 manner, forming in the author's hands an interesting 

 subject for the general reader as well as to the 

 farmer. Especially does this apply to the historical 

 portion, which shows evidence of patient re- 

 search, occupying the first sixty-four pages. It 

 is curious that this work is published within a year 

 of a complete century since the first book upon 

 agricultural chemistry appeared. That was written 

 by a Scottish nobleman, the Earl of Dundonald. 

 With such a manual as we now notice, we see how 

 completely changed in the century is the science of 

 agriculture as practised by the more wealthy and 

 enlightened farmers of our time. In fact, without 

 high-farming, some persons contend that farming 

 spells ruin. From this, however, we may venture 

 to differ, for latterly it appears as though the only 

 paying farms in this country were the little ones 

 where the farmer works with and as one of his 

 labourers. The time of the three-days-a-week fox- 

 hunting farmer being able to pay his way oft his 

 farm, is over. The small farmer, as well as the 

 large landed proprietor, will find much in Mr. 

 Aikman's book that is of real help to him. 



