282 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



hardly fair to Dr. Staudinger), with Newman's 

 Enghsh names added, as far as they will go, 

 the more recent additions to our fauna being 

 absent. Lastly, we have a selection from " Merrin's 

 Calendar." This is what the publishers invite 

 an uninitiated market to buy at ten shillings and 

 sixpence net. Had they only enquired from 

 any collector of British lepidoptera of one year 

 standing, he would have returned the manuscript 

 marked as it deserved. The unfortunate part of 

 this unfortunate business is that the book is 

 handsomely produced and illustrated, though the 

 coloured plates require some editing — showing that 

 it was Messrs. Longmans' endeavour to do their part 

 well, had they not fallen into such a deplorable 

 error of judgment in the selection of the compiler. 



J.T.C 



A Dictionary of Birds. By Alfred Newton, 

 assisted by Hams Gadow. Part iii. (Moa — Sheat- 

 bill), pp. 577 to 832, large 8vo., profusely illus- 

 trated. (London : Adam and Charles Black, 1894.) 

 Priee -5 it. net. 



We had the pleasure of noticing the first two parts 

 of thi«; excellent 

 work (ante page 87) 

 in June last. Part 

 iii. fully keeps up 

 to the standard of 

 the former sections 

 issued. The lucid 



M:-s:r:s 



about eighteen 

 pages), " Nervous 

 System, " " NidiS- 

 cation" (six pages), 

 " Pterylosis " or 

 plumage consid- 

 ered in regard to 

 the distribution of 

 its growth , ' ' Repro- 

 ductive Organs," 

 etc. Popular names 

 ;:' ::ris are art ar- 

 ently rather more 

 freely treated than 

 in Parts i. and ii. 

 The article on that 

 curious group, the 

 nightjars, is very 

 ir.:ere;::r_e ; we are 

 enabled to repro- 

 duce one of the illustrations from it (through 

 the courtesy of Professor Newton and the 

 publishers), being of the pennant-winged night- 

 jar. In two African species, the males have 

 enormously elongated second primary feathers, 

 which in some examples extend upwards of seven- 

 teen inches. Not much seems to be known about 

 the habits of these rare birds. The long feathers 

 with spatulate tips are nearly the same colour as 

 the grass heads, among which they wave in the wind 

 when the bird is at rest. J.T.C. 



The Earth : An Introduction to the Study of In- 

 organic Nature. By Evan W. Small, MA.., B Sc, 

 F.G.S, 228 pp. 8vo. With 71 illustrations. 

 (London : Methuen and Co. 1894.) Price 2s. 6d. 



The useful books included in Messrs. Methuen's 



ri::;; A v7-"V::::i; N::-:-:t;a?.. 

 (From Professor X avian's " Dictionary of Birds.") 



' ' University Extension Series ' ' are now well known 

 for their conciseness and variety of subjects. This 

 story of " The Earth " is a collection of lectures by 

 the author upon " The Earth as a Planet," "The 

 Ma-.erials of the Earth,'' "Work and Energy," 

 " How the Materials of the Earth's Crust were 

 formed, and the "Evolution of the Earth." Con- 

 sidering the space available in a lecture, Mr. Small 

 has, by judicious elimination of unnecessary words, 

 successfully put his subjects plainly before his 

 readers. The list of books of reference at the end 

 of each lecture enables those who desire further 

 knowledge to readily proceed with their investiga- 

 tions. It is a pity some of the illustrations were not 

 more professionally drawn, though they indicate 

 what the author desires to illustrate. 



The Essex Naturalist, being the Journal of the 

 Essex Field Club, edited by William Cole, Hon. 

 Secretary. Vol. viii, 1894, z 9 2 PP- large Svo, 

 illustrated. Published by the Club, Buckhurst 

 Hill, Essex. Price 6s. 6d. 



The volume just completed of "The Essex 

 Naturalist " is well up to the average, and possesses 



an interest far 

 beyond the limits 

 of the county. The 

 contents are ex- 

 ceedingly varied, 

 covering many 

 branches of physi- 

 cal and natural 

 science, also folk- 

 lore and archaeo- 

 logy. Irrespective 

 of the many items 

 of local conse- 

 quence, which 

 have, from time to 

 time, been brought 

 before the meet- 

 ings of the Club, 

 there are several 

 papers which will 

 be useful to those 

 working upon the 

 distribution of our 

 flora and fauna, 

 one of the most 

 important being 

 " A Provisional 

 List of the Marine 

 Algae of the Essex 

 and Adjacent 

 Coast." Prof. R. 

 Meldola, F.R.S., 

 read a very useful 

 essay before the 

 Club, upon " Photography as an Aid in Physical 

 and Natural Science," a lengthy abstract of which 

 is included in this volume. 



The Country Month by Month. (London : Bliss, 

 Sands and Foster. 1894.) Price is. sewed, and 

 2s. cloth. 



These are the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh 

 instalments of the series ; and the authors are 

 keeping up the interest in the country as they 

 proceed. The essays are all upon seasonable 

 subjects. In October " A Fungus Foray " is 

 treated, and " Bird Migration" ; November includes 

 "Lichens" and "Chrysanthemums"; January 

 treats of "A Winter Garden and Christmas 

 Roses " and " Snow Crystals " — all pleasant chatty 

 chapters to pass away a lazy evening hour. 



