584 Notices respecting New Books. 



choice of their material and in general upon the way they present 

 it. At least this is so if it be clearly understood that the book is 

 to be treated as an introductory account intended to rouse the 

 interest of the pupil in scientific things. At the same time lovers 

 of the logical presentation of ideas will continue to wonder 

 whether it is really necessary to sacrifice so much in order to 

 rouse the pupils' interest. Our own opinion is that the via media 

 is best. The pupils' interest must, of course, be aroused ; but 

 unless, at the same time, an endeavour be made to logically develop 

 the subject, they go without one of the main advantages of a 

 scientific training. 



Regarded as an introduction to physics, however, the work of 

 the authors has been well done. Athough terms such as force, 

 energy, and work are introduced with the slightest definition only, 

 yet we do not think the pupil will have anything serious to 

 unlearn at a later date. The book covers the ground of mechanics, 

 heat, light, sound, electricity, and magnetism, the illustrative cases 

 being selected from the technical side (electric bells, telephones, 

 &c). We observe only one mistake. E-adium has not the 

 heaviest atom known. This honour is possessed by Uranium, with 

 Thorium as a good second. 



Crystalline Structure and Chemical Constitution. By Dr. A. E. H. 



Tctton, F.E.S. London : Macmillan & Co. 1910. 

 This is an account of the work of the author during the last 

 twenty years in connexion with the properties of certain crystals. 

 The detailed accounts of this work are only to be found in scattered 

 journals and proceedings of scientific societies, the result being 

 that it is perhaps not so well known as it ought to be. At any 

 rate, by bringing the various parts of it together into a short 

 monograph, the author has succeeded in presenting a picture of 

 the researches on which he has expended so much time and 

 ingenuity, which will go far to bring him the greater credit he 

 deserves. There are few cases which form a better illustration of 

 the enormous amount of scientific advance which can be effected 

 by the continuous and thoroughgoing application of an investi- 

 gation to the examination of one small department of knowledge. 



Dr. Tutton's work has consisted in the measurement, with the 

 highest possible degree of precision, of some of the chief physical 

 properties of selected groups of crystals, with the object of ascer- 

 taining, without any of the uncertainty existing at the time 

 when he began his researches, whether, any small differences exist 

 in these properties and whether these differences present any cor- 

 relation with the position of the metallic bases of the crystal in 

 Mendelejef'8 series. 



For the results obtained reference must be made to this book 

 itself, where a sufficiently full summary is given of them and of the 

 apparatus by which the results were obtained.. But it may be 

 said here that Dr. Tutton has succeeded in his aim to set free 

 from uncertainty some of the disputed questions of crystallography., 



The book is written by an enthusiast; and if sometimes his en-, 

 thusiasm drives him into digressions which do not seem to belong 

 to the main theme, we do not doubt that this small defect will be 

 forgiven him. 



