Literary Notices. 389 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



A Dictionary op Science, Literature, and Art. Edited by W. T. 

 Brande, D.C.L., E.R.S.L. and E., of Her Majesty's Mint, and the 

 Rev. George W. Cox, M.A., Lat. Scholar of Trinity College, Oxford, 

 assisted by gentlemen of eminent scientific acquirements. Parts VI. 

 and VII. (Longmans.) — We have on former occasions expressed a 

 general good opinion of this work, and when compelled to make 

 some observations of a contrary description, our objections and re- 

 monstrances refeired to the department ostensibly under the care of 

 Professor Owen, whose name figures amongst the list of contributors 

 as responsible for articles on " Biological Sciences, comprising 

 Anatomy, Physiology, Zoology, and Paleontology." No one can 

 suppose for a moment that Messrs. Longman would make such use 

 of Professor Owen's name unless they had made arrangements with 

 him by which the purchasers of the new edition of Brande's 

 Dictionary would be entitled to the benefit of his services. It is 

 true that Mr. Carter Blake is associated with him, but it is Professor 

 Owen's name that is expected to win confidence for the papers 

 relating to the subjects which he nominally superintends. In the 

 present number, we can repeat our general commendation of the 

 labours of the various contributors, but the department assigned to 

 Professor Owen is simply disgraceful. We turn, for example, to the 

 article "Infusoria," and we find the subject dealt with in something 

 less than two columns of antiquated rubbish. We are very sorry to 

 feel compelled to speak thus of anything going forth under the learned 

 Professor's sanction, but it would be dishonest to conceal the truth. 

 We are told in this article that Linnasus placed the Infusoria " at the 

 end of his class Vermes, in a genus which he denominated ' chaos,' " 

 and in chaos Professor Owen is contented to leave them. Cuvier, he 

 informs us, separated the Rotifera from the Infusoria, and " attributed 

 to them a mouth, a stomach, an intestine," etc. "The anterior 

 lobated organ, and its vibratory denticulatioiis" are said to form the 

 main external characteristics. Ehrenberg is then said to have 

 brought to light additional organs in these creatures by the appli- 

 cation of a microscope superior to that of his predecessors ; and 

 this is about all the information that is given. Thus a reader, not 

 possessing more knowledge of the subject than the learned 

 Professor has thought proper to display, would suppose that nothing 

 of consequence had been discovered since Cuvier " attributed " a 

 mouth, etc., to the Rotifers, and Ehrenberg "brought to light 

 additional complexities." We feel bound to tell Professor Owen 

 that this is not dealing fairly with the public, and we should presume 

 it is not acting up to the requisitions of Messrs. Longman. " The 

 second order of Infusoria in Cuvier's system is then introduced to 

 us, and Ehrenberg's polygastric theory, exploded long ago, is once 

 more affirmed ; and in a subsequent paragraph the diatoms are 

 actually called Polygastric Infusoria, thus repeating a very pardon- 

 able error of Ehrenberg at an early stage of inquiry, but what is 

 now a disgraceful blunder for any naturalist to make. We then 



