54 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTICES BY JOHN T. CARRINGTON. 



William Stokes, His Life and Work. By his Son, 

 William Stokes. 239 pp. 8vo, with 3 plates. 

 (London : T. Fisher Unwin, 1898.) 3s. 6d. 



This is the fourth of the series of biographies of 

 masters of medicine, inaugurated by the late 

 Dr. Ernest Hart, who was to have edited them. 

 In writing the biography of his father, Sir William 

 Stokes has naturally been handicapped by his close 

 relationship, fearing that too much eulogy would 

 be misconstrued by some persons for personal 

 affection. The interval of twenty years since the 

 death of the celebrated Dr. Stokes, and the dis- 

 cretion of the author of the book before us, renders 

 such accusation impossible. To our numerous 

 medical subscribers the work of Dr. Stokes is 

 as household words, so well is it known, and so 

 eminent was he as a pioneer in his profession. To 

 the more general public the volume appeals for 

 many reasons, not the least being the glimpses 

 obtained of Ireland and Irish society about the 

 time of its saddest and most depressed period — 

 from 1825 to 1S70. For the readers of Science- 

 Gossip are to be found many touches of nature- 

 lore and science ; and for all, the remarkable word- 

 pictures, written by Dr. Stokes, of his home 

 surroundings and impressions whilst travelling. 

 His leanings towards scientific knowledge extended 

 beyond his own profession, and included natural 

 history, especially botany, zoology, mineralogy and 

 chemistry. The taste doubtless came from his 

 father, who had similar inclinations. The father, 

 Dr. Whitly Stokes, took an active part in the 

 foundation of the Dublin College Botanical Gardens 

 and the Zoological Gardens, of that city. Sir 

 William Stokes has written a most readable book, 

 pleasingly interspersed with facts and amusing 

 anecdotes. 



The Pnining-Booh. By L. H. Bailey. 540 pp. 

 8vo, with 331 illustrations. (New York : Mac- 

 millan Company. London : Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 1898.) 5s. net. 



The author very properly describes this work as 

 a monograph of the pruning and training of plants 

 as applied to American conditions ; and it is an 

 excellent treatise on the subject. With few 

 exceptions, his remarks apply equally well to 

 Europe. With the aid of this book, any intelligent 

 person should be able to manage perhaps the most 

 important section of a garden. Mr. Bailey's style 

 is simple but convincing. The figures are admirable, 

 as they illustrate not only the best ways of pruning 

 and training, but also the bad and what is to be 

 avoided. It is quite a book for the country house, 

 and will also be useful to the suburban gardener. 



Ackworth Birds. By Major Walter B. Arundel. 

 113 pp. 8vo. (London: Gurney and Jackson, 189S.) 



The district of Ackworth in Yorkshire is near 

 Pontefract. It is undulating and well wooded in 

 places. Major Arundel has recorded in all 149 species 

 of birds, eighty of which breed regularly within 

 his region. The arrangement and nomenclature 



followed is that adopted by Mr. Howard Saunders 

 in his Manual. The English names are given, and 

 also a number of local names. It is a good list, 

 carefully prepared, and one likely to stimulate a taste 

 for scientific ornithology in the district, besides 

 being useful to the more advanced students in regard 

 to the distribution and nesting habits of birds. 



List of Fossil Cephalopoda in the British Museum. 

 By G. C. Crick, F.G.S. 105 pp. (London: 

 Trustees of British Museum.) 2s. 6d. 



This catalogue contains a list of all the known 

 types and figured specimens of Cephalopoda so far 

 as known on its compilation on 23rd of March 

 last. It is a list, in the first place, of those species 

 in the British Museum (Natural History), but it is 

 more, as it contains localities and many useful 

 references to the fossil cuttle-fish and their allies 

 in other collections. 



Catalogue 0/ Welu'itsch's African Plants. Part iii. 

 By William Philip Hiern, M.A., F.L.S. pp. 337 

 to 510. (London: The Trustees of the British 

 Museum, Natural History Department, 1898.) 4s. 



This part of the descriptive catalogue of plants 

 collected in Africa by Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch in 

 1853-61, includes Combretaceae to Rubiaceae. 

 These admirable Museum publications may be 

 obtained direct from the Museum in Cromwell 

 Road, London, or through such publishers as 

 Longmans, Quaritch, Dulau, or Kegan Paul. 



Elementary Practical Zoology. By Frank E. 

 Beddard, M.A., F.R.S. 214 pp. crown 8vo, with 

 93 illustrations. (London, New York and Bombay : 

 Longmans, Green and Co. 1898.) 2s. 6d. 



The author is so well known as a trustworthy 

 teacher and investigator of animal life that the 

 publishers could not have chosen a safer hand for 

 producing a text-book on Zoology for their " Prac- 

 tical Elementary Science Series." We need hardly 

 remind our readers that Mr. Beddard is Prosector 

 to the Zoological Society of London, Lecturer on 

 Biology at Guy's Hospital, Examiner in Zoology 

 and Comparative Anatomy in the University of 

 London, etc. He is therefore especially qualified 

 to write such a work as the one before us. Its 

 object is to provide a guide to the elementary 

 zoology required by the Science and Art Depart- 

 ment in their examinations. It embraces all the 

 types comprised in the syllabus issued by the 

 Department, besides much other useful matter. 

 The author treats his subject as dealt with by the 

 Science and Art Examiners, therefore the book 

 will be invaluable for students preparing for those 

 examinations. 



Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the 

 United Kingdom. New Series, Vol. v. No. 2., 

 pp. 107-233. (London: Dulau and Co., 1S98.) 

 3s. 6d. 



These are several important papers founded on 

 work done at Plymouth, in the April issue of this 

 journal, and some interesting notes. Among the 

 former are two by Messrs. E. W. L. Holt and 

 S. D. Scott on " The Reproduction and Early Stages 

 of Teleostean Fishes," one on " Keeping Medusae 

 Alive in an Aquarium," by Mr. E. T. Browne, and 

 another by the same observer on " The Pelagic 

 Fauna of Plymouth " for September, 1897. 



Proceedings of the South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. 1897. Part ii. (London : 

 The Society, 1898.) 2S. 



This part contains the excellent presidential 

 address delivered by Mr. R. Adkin, and several 

 papers of some importance, with illustrations. 



