i+3 



SCIENCE- G OS SIP. 



NOTICES BY JOHN T. CARRINGTON. 



Studies in Fossil Botany. By Dukinfield 

 Henry Scott, M.A., Ph.D., F.E.S., F.L.S., F.G.S. 

 xiii. + 533 pp., 8f in. x 5J in., with 151 illustrations. 

 (London : Adam & Charles Black, 1900.) 7s. 6d. 



The author, who is Honorary Keeper of the 

 Jodrell Laboratory, Koyal Gardens, Kew, will be 

 remembered by his " Introduction to Structural 

 Botany," issued some little time since. The book 

 before us is founded on a special course of lectures 

 given under the same title at University College, 

 London, in 1896. Dr. Dukinfieid Scott has 

 retained the lecture form, but has largely increased 

 the matter in these pages. The book does not 

 pretend to be a manual of fossil botany, but rather 

 a general introduction to the subject, in view of 

 coupling up, as it were, in the student's mind, the 

 plants of the past with those at present existing. 

 This aspect has the utmost value to the modern 

 botanical student, who, as a rule, knows far too 

 little of the evolution of the recent flora. The 

 book is excellently illustrated with a large number 

 of new drawings, chosen with much judgment, 

 from the pencils of well-known palaeontologists, 

 and easily accessible originals. 



The Monthly Review, October, 1900. 198 pp., 

 10 in. x 7 in., 14 illustrations. (London : John 

 Murray. 1900.) 2s. 6d. net, 



Mr. John Murray is to be congratulated on the 

 first number of the long-expected " Monthly Re- 

 view." As an example of the publishers' art it is 

 admirable, being beautifully printed in large type 

 on good paper. The illustrations are worked upon 

 plate paper, and are artistic examples of tone 

 reproduction. As becomes a Review of this cha- 

 racter, the literary matter is very varied, and we 

 are glad to see that science is represented in an 

 article by Professor H. H. Turner on " Recent 

 Eclipses." The most remarkable article, although 

 not scientific, is " Details in my Daily Life," by 

 Abdur Rahman, Amir of Afghanistan.' The illus- 

 trated article is by Roger E. Fry, on " Art before 

 Giotto." This constitutes the first of a series of 

 essays on early Florentine painting. It is superbly 

 embellished with photographic reproductions. The 

 " Monthly Review " should have a long and suc- 

 cessful career. 



The Path of the Sun. By William Sandeman, 

 F.C.A. 132 pp., 7| in. x 5 in., illustrated by 10 

 diagrams. (Manchester: Sherratt & HuLhes. 

 1900.) 2s. 6d. 



The author of this work has evidently given 

 much thought to his subject ; the pages indicate 

 careful study and originality. However much we 

 may disagree with his theories, we must acknow- 

 ledge his earnestness. Mr. Sandeman does his 

 best, to quote his own words, " to expose the fallacy 

 of the ' Precession of the Equinoxes,' though more 

 properly of Newton's explanation of their cause. 

 He endeavours to show that the phenomenon is 

 due to the motion of the sun round an orbit of 

 rather less than 25,800 years. 



Church Strotton. Vol. I. Edited by C. W. 

 Campbell-Hyslop. 198 pp., 7£ in. x 5 in., with 

 illustrations. (Shrewsbury : L. Wilding. 1900.) 5s. 



This work appears to be a collection of mono- 

 graphs on subjects connected with the ancient 

 town of Church Stretton, in Shropshire ; but, there 

 being no preface or editorial introduction, we have 

 not anything to indicate the object of the publica- 

 tion. Vol. I. contains three excellent articles by 

 local specialists. They are on Geology, by E. S. 

 Cobbold ; Macro-lepidoptera, by F. B. Newnham, 

 M.A. ; Molluscs, by Robert A. Buddicum, B.A., 

 F.G.S. The first of these occupies 115 pages, the 

 second 63 pages, and the third 22 pages, with an 

 instructive plate. When complete these volumes 

 will also contain articles on the Botany, Archaeo- 

 logy, Climatology, and Ornithology. The book 

 is well produced ; but the title-page would be more 

 valuable if dated, and the back should bear the 

 name, as everyone knows the inconvenience of 

 having untitled books on the shelves of one's 

 library. More care seems to have been neces- 

 sary in reading proofs, as on the first page we 

 happen to open we find that Vanessa Jo is very 

 common, and that ab. Joides differs from Jo 

 only in its much smaller size. Our entomological 

 readers must understand that the peacock butterfly 

 is here intended. The author has invented a 

 number of names for aberrations or sports, which 

 we hardly think were necessary. For instance, he 

 has Anthocltaris cardamines ab. cinerea, named 

 from a single specimen, as also ab. arsenoides as 

 representing a female with partial orange tips, 

 and some others. We are not quite sure whether 

 one of them is intended for an aberration, as there 

 are two dots in front of the word hesperides, which 

 appears to be a small form of orange-tip butterfly. 

 Mr. Newnham's list of macro-lepidoptera is con- 

 siderable, also interesting, and is one that will 

 probably be enlarged. It is a pity he does not also 

 include the micro-lepidoptera. We do not under- 

 stand why the editor of this volume, in passing 

 the scientific names of the lepidoptera., has not 

 followed the more modern plan used by the 

 author of the " Monograph on the Molluscs." The 

 work is a useful addition to county histories. 



A Treatise on Zooloqy. Edited by E. Ray 

 Lankester, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S. Part II. 



PORIFERA AND COELENTERA. By E. A. MlNCHIN, 



M.A. ; G. Herbert Fowler, B.A., Ph.D.; and 

 Gilbert C. Bourne, M.A. vi. + 405 pp., 9 in. x 

 6 in., with 175 illustrations. (London: Adam 

 & Charles Black, 1900.) 15s. net, 



We have already had the pleasure of noticing 

 the first issued part of this admirable work in our 

 number for May last (Vol. VII., p. 370). In that 

 instance we explained the parts were being issued 

 as ready, Ths one before us is Part II., which 

 gives us the most recent information upon a 

 number of invertebrate animals, including their 

 latest classification. The sections of the work are 

 devoted to the Enterocoela and the Coelomocoela, 

 by Dr. Lankester ; Sponges — Phylum Porifera, by 

 E. A. Minchin, M.A. ; The Hydromedusae, by 

 G. Herbert Fowler, B.A., Ph.D. ; The Scypho- 

 medusae, also by Mr. Fowler ; The Anthozoa, by 

 G. C. Bourne, M.A. ; and The Ctenophora by the 

 same writer. Considering the remarkable advances 

 which have been made in the knowledge of the 

 life histories and relationship to each other of 

 these low forms of aquatic life, and the abilities 

 •of the respective writers, it is only necessary to 



