390 Literary Notices. 



reasonable attention. The first chapter of his work in its present 

 state relates to the history of the invention and improvements of 

 the microscope, and we may notice parenthetically that the pub- 

 lisher has nnwisely placed the words " History of the Microscope" 

 as the external title shown on the binding, thus misleading those 

 who see no more as to the character of the book. The second and 

 third chapters describe at length various instruments and apparatus, 

 modes of preparing objects, etc. 



The second part of the volume consists of six chapters, the 

 first devoted to the vegetable kingdom, the second to the protozoa, 

 and other forms up to the echinodermata, the third begins with the 

 polyzoa, and ends with the annelida, the fourth relates to insects and 

 spiders, the fifth deals with the microscopic structure of the verte- 

 brata, and the sixth refers to crystals, polarization, spectrum analysis, 

 etc., etc. 



Although we recommend this work to intelligent beginners, it 

 must not be supposed that it will not prove of service to more 

 advanced students. It is indeed adapted to both — to the former 

 from its simplicity and clearness, and to the latter from the care 

 taken to bring each subject down to date. Thus the physiologist 

 will find Mr. Whitney's elaborate and interesting researches into 

 the respiratory apparatus of the tadpole fully explained and illus- 

 trated by a fine series of coloured drawings. 



We feel bound to pronounce Mr. Hogg's sixth edition an honour 

 to English microscopy, and we have no doubt we shall soon con- 

 gratulate him on the appearance of a seventh, in which we recom- 

 mend him to reconsider his reprint of the statement so commonly 

 made about the highly composite character of the spider's thread. 

 We pointed out last year that by placing an earwig in the web of 

 the handsome garden spicier, Epeira cliadema, the use of the mul- 

 tiplicity of spinnets may be easily observed. The spider shoots 

 out a sheaf of her silken threads, the ends of which stick to the 

 earwig, which she then pats round and round, as if she were 

 roasting him on a spit, until he is swathed like a mummy in the 

 silken winding-sheet which the numerous spinnets enable her to 

 form in a few seconds. 



We must, however, while amply recognizing the merits of Mr. 

 Hogg's book, protest against the injustice done to one of our great 

 firms — Messrs. R. and J. Beck — whose numerous excellent forms 

 of microscope are most unaccountably and unfairly omitted. 



Introductory Text-Book of Geology. By David Page, L.L.D., 

 E.R.S.E., F.G.S. Seventh and Enlarged Edition. (Blackwood 

 and Sons.) Advanced Text-Book of Geology, Descriptive and 

 Industrial. By David Page, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., etc. Fourth 

 Edition, revised and enlarged. (Blackwood and Sons.) — Tho 

 second edition of Mr. Page's excellent " Introductory Text-Book" 

 was published in 1855 ; the third in 1857 ; tho fourth in 18G0 ; tho 

 fifth in 18G1 ; and the sixth in 18G4, and now come the seventh in 

 18G7. These simple facts testify to the great merit of the work 

 as a simple intelligible introduction to a comprehensive and difficult 

 science. We need only repeat the favourable opinion we have 



