Notices respecting New Books. 679 



more recent researches have dealt almost entirely with plant-life, 

 his methods have always been those of the physicist. Perhaps the 

 fact that he is a physicist rather than a physiologist in training 

 and language, may account for some of the opposition which his 

 work and views have aroused in certain quarters. His researches 

 on complex strain effects in metals, which he included under the 

 title of "Response in the Non-Living,'*' led him to extend con- 

 siderably the analogy between the living and non-living which had 

 already been expressed by the use of such terms as "fatigue" for 

 describing non-organic phenomena. From this he passed on to 

 the fascinating problem of plant response and irritability. Many 

 of the astonishing results obtained with the help of his various 

 " crescographs," or instruments for magnifying the small move- 

 ments of plant-growth, were demonstrated in London early this 

 year, and vindicated against the critics. A magnification of 

 movement approaching one hundred million times has been 

 obtained with the magnetic crescograph, the instrument repre- 

 senting the culmination of a long series of experiments. His 

 main discoveries on plant-life have been recently discussed in the 

 scientific press, and are still fresh in the minds of all. In the 

 b«>ok before us Professor Patrick (leddes presents us with a 

 very sympathetic study of the career, personality, and ideals of 

 Sir J. C. Bose, and summarises in some detail his scientific work, 

 He comments without bitterness on the difficulties placed in the 

 way of a sincere and gifted student of nature, and leads us to 

 rejoice with him in the ultimate recognition of Sir J. C. Bose's 

 claim as a citizen and a scientist. The book is excellently pro- 

 duced and illustrated. 



Traite de La Lumiere. Par Christian Huygens. Gauthier- Villars : 

 Paris. Pp. x + 155. Price 3 fr. 60. 



Tins reprint of Huygens' famous treatise is one of the first 

 Aolumes of a new series, appearing under the title of "Les 

 Maitres de la Pensee Scientifique." Some sixty volumes are 

 already announced, other classical works on light included in the 

 list being those of Newton, Young, and Fresnel. The biological 

 sciences are represented, but mathematics and physics claim the 

 majority of the volumes of the series. In England we are not 

 well provided with reprints of the classical papers. In the par- 

 ticular case of Huygens' "Treatise" we have, it is true, Silvanus 

 Thompson's beautifully printed translation, which, however, is 

 comparatively costly. The little book before us is quite well 

 produced, and very moderately priced, and we think that the 

 series should enjoy considerable popularity among English readers. 

 We hope to see the list extended until there is no need to go to 

 "Ostwald's Klassiker" for the original authorities. Apart from 

 sentimental reasons French is a language more accessible to most 

 Britons than German, and the page of the French series is more 

 restful to the eye than the German page. \Ve wish the new 

 venture every success. 



