134 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of the entomologist occupies the greater part 

 of the volume, and contains more or less ex- 

 tended notes on a large number of insects 

 of economic importance. The report of the 

 geologist is brief. It is accompanied by an 

 account of the finding of the bones of mas- 

 todon associated with charcoal and pottery 

 at Attica, and by descriptions of new species 

 of Fenestellidce of the lower Helderberg, with 

 Plates VIII to XV. 



Part II of the Report of the Chief Signal 

 Officer for 1887 (War Department) consists 

 of a " Treatise on Meteorological Apparatus 

 and Methods," by Prof. Cleveland Abbe. 

 The subdivisions of the subject are : the 

 measurement of atmospheric temperature, 

 of atmospheric pressure, of the motion of 

 the air, of aqueous vapor, and of precipita- 

 tion, all of which are treated with great full- 

 ness. Plates containing ninety-eight illus- 

 trations are appended to the volume. 



A Star Atlas, with explanatory text by 

 Dr. Hermann J. Klein (E. and J. B. Young & 

 Co.), has been issued, containing maps of all 

 the stars from 1 to 6 - 5 magnitude between 

 the north pole and 34° south declination, and 

 of all nebulae and star-clusters in the same 

 region which are visible in telescopes of 

 moderate powers. The volume contains a 

 little preliminary text, followed by descrip- 

 tions of the more interesting fixed stars, 

 star-clusters, and nebulas contained in the 

 maps, arranged in order of right ascension. 

 Of the eighteen double-page maps, twelve 

 are devoted to stars and six to the other 

 objects. The atlas is finely printed on 

 heavy paper. 



A little volume of Chemical Lecture Notes 

 has been published by Prof. Peter T. Austen 

 (Wiley, $1), which the author says is "simply 

 a collection of notes and observations on cer- 

 tain topics which experience as a teacher has 

 shown me often give the student more or 

 less trouble." Explanations are given of 

 most of the principles of chemical philoso- 

 phy, and about one fourth of the volume is 

 devoted to an essay on " The Chemical Fac- 

 tor in Human Progress." 



A former zealous propagator of Volapuk, 

 Prof. George Bauer, has invented what he 

 deems a still better universal language, 

 which he calls Spelin. A pamphlet giving 

 a sketch of this language, translated and 



abridged from an exposition of the system 

 by the author, has been issued by Charles T. 

 Strauss, 424 Broadway, New York. The 

 principal advantages claimed for Spelin over 

 Volapuk are that it contains no sound not 

 occurring in all three languages, English, 

 German, and French ; it has no declension, 

 no subjunctive mode, only five tenses, nearly 

 twice as many monosyllabic words in flowing 

 sentences as Volapuk, fewer letters for ex- 

 pressing the same thoughts by seventeen 

 per cent, more frequent vowel termination, 

 and no words of five, six, or more syllables. 

 The brief summary of its grammar in this 

 pamphlet shows that Spelin is well worth 

 examination by any one who is in search of 

 the best universal language. 



The Patriotic Reader, compiled by Henry 

 B. Carrington (Lippincott, $1.20), is a large 

 collection of " utterances that inspire good 

 citizenship," in prose and verse. The selec- 

 tions are classified in sixteen parts, the first 

 referring to the Hebrew and related nations, 

 the second to the Greeks and Romans, and 

 most of the others to different periods in 

 American history. One division is composed 

 of national hymns, songs, and odes, both of 

 America and other countries. None of the 

 grand and eloquent utterances in behalf of 

 freedom for the slaves and the preservation 

 of the Union, spoken before and during our 

 civil war, are included. A biographical in- 

 dex of authors and persons whose deeds are 

 celebrated is appended. The mechanical 

 features of the volume are substantial and 

 tasteful. 



A book which is being very widely read 

 is Max CReWs latest production, Jonathan 

 and his Continent (Cassell, $1.50). The 

 author gives hurried glimpses at a multitude 

 of subjects, as if himself entered on the 

 frantic race which he accuses Jonathan of 

 running. His comments are light and en- 

 tertaining, though many of his impressions 

 have evidently been gathered from the funny 

 columns of American newspapers. 



Lessing : Ausgewalte Prosa und Brief e 

 (" Selected Prose and Letters "), edited, with 

 notes, by Horatio Stevens White, is the sixth 

 of Dr. J. M. Hart's series of " German Clas- 

 sics for American Students " (G. P. Putnam's 

 Sons). It presents typical specimens of the 

 works of one of the most catholic and versa- 

 tile of German authors — the one, perhaps, 



