120 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTICES BY JOHN T. CARRINGTON. 



Birds of /he Humber District. By John Cordeaux, 

 J.P., F.R.G.S., M.B.O.U. viii. +4opp.,9in.x 

 5jin. (London : R. H. Parter, 1899.) 2s. 6d. net. 



The exact title of this work is, "A list of British 

 Birds belonging to the Humber District, having 

 special reference to their migrations." It is revised 

 up to April, 1899, and prefaced by an introduction. 

 The number of species reaches 322, a very large record 

 for so limited an area. Of course, they include 

 residents, summer visitors, winter visitors, and 

 periodical visitors, also rare and accidental occurrences. 

 This is no mere list of names, for attached to each 

 species are one or two paragraphs of notes, defining 

 the position of the bird as an inhabitant, as regards 

 numbers increasing or decreasing when resident, dates 

 of arrivals and departures if migrants. There is also 

 much other valuable information, which has the 

 advantage of Mr. Cordeaux's high reputation for 

 accuracy and experience as one of our leading 

 ornithologists. 



The Birds of Breconshire. By E. Cambridge 

 Phillips, F.I..S. xi. + 158 pp., Sin. x s^in., with 

 two illustrations. (Brecon : Edwin Davis, 1S99.) 

 7s. gd. 



Although the title page does not indicate the fact, 

 this does not appear to be the first edition, as the 

 author republishes the preface to a former issue, 

 which appears to have been privately circulated 

 about seventeen years ago. The previous edition 

 has been rewritten and considerably enlarged, and 

 where possible the Welsh names of birds have been 

 added, these having been largely taken from a rare 

 old Welsh dictionary by Edward Williams, the 

 Blue Bard of Glamorganshire, and printed in Brecon 

 in 1826. Williams seems to have had some knowledge 

 of birds, but his local names unfortunately appear to 

 have been rather generally applied, and without much 

 attempt at identity of species. We are glad to find 

 among the increasing numbers of native birds in 

 South Wales may be included the peregrine falcon, 

 black grouse, stock dove, nut hatch, and greater and 

 lesser spotted woodpeckers. The illustrations are of 

 black grouse and pheasant hybrids from near 

 Builth, and of a kite's nest, found in 1875 near Upper 

 Chapel. The book closes with a list of scientific 

 • names of the county birds. 



Lancashire Sea Fisheries. By Charles L. Jack- 

 son, viii. + 85 pp., yi-in. by 5in. (Manchester: 

 Abel Hayward and Son, 1S99), 2s. 



On the 24th of May last, Mr. Jackson- delivered a 

 lecture at the Chadwick Museum, Bolton, upon the 

 Lancashire sea-fisheries. This he has now reprinted 

 with some additions and an introduction. The book 

 contains a good many notes of some natural history 

 value, for instance, he describes the growth of conger 

 eels in the Southport Aquarium, where they increased 

 during about five years captivity from three pounds 

 weight to upwards of one hundred pounds weight. 

 The book is chattily written as becomes a popular 

 lecture. 



Museums Association. Report of Meeting held 

 at Sheffield, 1898. Edited by Herbert Bolton, 

 F.R.S.E., xx. -[" 193 pp., Siin. by 52m., with six 

 illustrations (London : Dulan and Co., 1899.) 



This volume is a report of the proceedings of the 

 Museums Association with the papers read at the 

 Ninth Annual General Meeting, held in Sheffield, 

 July 4th to 8th, 1898. It contains also the balance 

 sheet of the Association for the year previous and 

 the President's address. Among the papers read was 

 one by Professor A. Denny, F. L. S. , University 

 College, Sheffield, on the " Relation of Museums to 

 Elementary Teaching"; "The Peoples' Palace" by 

 James Paton, F. L. S. , Superintendent of Museums, 

 Glasgow; "The Arrangement of Herberia " by 



E. W. Holmes, F.L.S., Curator of Museums of the 

 Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain; "Provincial 

 Museums" by H. Bolton, F.R.S.E.; " Marine Animals 

 Mounted as Transparencies " by H. C. Sorby, L.S.D. , 



F. R.S. , also several others dealing with science and 

 art subjects. 



The Story of the Eclipses. By George Y. 

 Chambers, F.R.A.S. 259 pp., 6in.x4in., illustrated. 

 (London : George Newnes, Ltd., 1S99. ) Is. 



In writing this little work the author has had in 

 view that his readers will find it useful to know some- 

 thing of eclipses generally, with special reference to 

 the total eclipse of the sun on the 28th of May next. 

 He deals with his subject in a pleasantly popular 

 manner, and his scientific side of the work is liberally 

 interspersed with anecdote and history. The illustra- 

 tions are helpful. 



The Marine Diatoms of France and England. 

 Part i. By MM. H. and M. Peragallo. 

 2 volumes. Vol, I. Text iii+236 pp., nin. X7|in. 

 Vol. II. Plates. 50 plates, with 1,124 species and 

 variations. (Paris : J. Tempere, 168, Rue St. 

 Antoine. ) £2, post free. 



The first part of this elaborate and costly work is 

 now published, and shojild prove of the utmost value 

 to those microscopists, and they are many, whose 

 special study is diatoms. We cannot do better than 

 quote in extenso the opening paragraph of M. H. 

 Peragallo's preface. " It is with confidence that my 

 brother and I present to the restricted but select 

 world of amateur diatomists, our. Flora of French 

 Diatoms. We hope that all who, like ourselves, 

 devote some of the leisure moments left them by the 

 often absorbing claims of their profession, to the study, 

 or even to the examination simply of these algae, all 

 curious, and all interesting, will encourage us in our 

 enterprise, and that our work will be one of those of 

 which the amateur of diatoms will love to turn the 

 leaves for his pleasure, and to utilise for his work." 

 The book is meant as a supplement to that of the 

 famous diatomist Dr. Henri Van Heurck, of Antwerp, 

 and the editors claim for it, that when completed, it 

 will contain all the species identified in France and 

 England. The classification adopted is known in this 

 country as that of H. L. Smith, and this, the first 

 part, deals with the Raphideae, leaving the Pseudo- 

 Raphideae, and the Anaraphideae to be completed in 

 subsequent parts. The present section is in two 

 volumes, the first being devoted entirely to description, 

 and the second containing the plates. These last are 

 50 in number, and illustrate no less than 1,124 species 

 and varieties. The drawings are, as far as possible, 

 made on a uniform scale of X900, and reduced to 

 x6oo. The advantage of this- is obvious. The price 

 of the present part is -£l, post free, and of the 

 complete work £4, but the price will be raised to ,£5 

 at the end of the present year. The work is of course 

 in French. F. S. S. 



