LITERARY NOTICES. 



13* 



logical and psychological changes that occur 

 when the girl attains the age of puberty are 

 described. Mental and physical culture are 

 the next two subjects considered, and under 

 the latter head certain gymnastic exercises 

 adapted to develop various parts of the body 

 are specified. Woman's dress, the hygiene 

 of the monthly period, marriage, the hygiene 

 of pregnancy, and the change of life, are 

 treated in a simple practical fashion. The 

 last chapter is devoted to beauty, and tells 

 women the most effective ways of securing 

 beauty for themselves, and of transmitting 

 it to their children. The treatment is plain, 

 practical, and popular throughout. 



Mental Evolution in Man. Origin of Hu- 

 man Faculty. By George John Ro- 

 manes, M. A., LL. D., F. R. S. 8vo. Pp. 

 452. D. Appleton & Co. Price, $3. 



This is the most important scientific work 

 that has appeared in many months. It fol- 

 lows in logical sequence upon the author's 

 former book, "Mental Evolution in Ani- 

 mals," and is intended to be the first install- 

 ment of a series which the writer says will 

 deal with the intellect, emotions, volition, 

 morals, and religion. The present volume is 

 concerned chiefly with the origin of human 

 faculty, as distinguished from its develop- 

 ment, and is mostly limited to the psychology 

 of the subject, postponing anthropological 

 evidences for the next installment. 



Dr. Romanes takes for granted the gen- 

 eral theory of evolution, including the evo- 

 lutional doctrine of descent " as regards the 

 whole of organic nature, morphological and 

 psychological, with the one exception of 

 man." Even with man this assumption is 

 continued so far as his bodily organization 

 is concerned ; it being thus only with refer- 

 ence to the human mind that this exception 

 is allowed. The effort is then made to show 

 that the same doctrine is applicable also to 

 the mind of man, or to " human faculty." 



In the last number of " The Popular Sci- 

 ence Monthly " extracts were given from the 

 work before us sufficient to indicate the main 

 positions taken and the line of argument pur- 

 sued, which circumstance renders it unne- 

 cessary for us to give in this place even an 

 outline of the course of exposition. One 

 thing, however, ought to be observed, which 

 did not appear in the article referred to. 



The controversy centers around the problem 

 of language and the mental acts involved in 

 predication. The task of proving that these 

 require and exemplify nothing more than 

 higher and more perfect developments of 

 powers the same in kind as those found low- 

 er down in the scale of animal life, is pur- 

 sued with great ability and thoroughness, 

 and with a conclusiveness which will impress 

 itself upon every thoughtful and candid 

 mind. The greater part of the volume is 

 taken up with this examination of language 

 and the mental processes involved therein. 

 The result is to bring out in a manner never 

 hitherto accomplished that language itself, 

 its formation and constitution, furnishes a 

 demonstration of the necessary continuity 

 of development from the animal intelligence, 

 to explain the " origin of human faculty." 



This splendid work of scientific achieve- 

 ment brings forward into full view of the 

 world of science a second Darwin. No doubt 

 such an assertion is a bold one, but we are 

 persuaded that it is just. Not only is the 

 work done a continuation of that of the au- 

 thor of " The Descent of Man " ; but in his 

 single-mindedness in the search for truth, in 

 his careful, conservative judgment, in the 

 thoroughness of his analysis, in his readi- 

 ness to hear and patiently examine objec- 

 tions, in his plain, clear style of expression, 

 Dr. Romanes more nearly approaches Dar- 

 win than has any other scientific writer. 

 The present work is a magnificent one, and 

 we shall await with eagerness the others 

 that are to follow. 



Days and Nights in the Tropics. By 

 Felix L. Oswald. Illustrated. Boston : 

 D. Lothrop Company. Pp. 186. 



The young or old reader who takes up 

 this book can not fail to be charmed with 

 the vivid scenes of animal life which it por- 

 trays. It contains the experiences of the au- 

 thor in a trip through the forests of Brazil 

 to collect native natural history specimens 

 for a rational museum in Rio Janeiro. Both 

 entertainment and information are afforded 

 by its accounts of the doings and habits of 

 monkeys, boas, various members of the cat 

 family, birds, manatees, insects, ant-caters, 

 and the scarcely more domesticated children 

 of the forest — the Indians. The surprising 

 toleration which pet-keepers and pet-dealers 



