﻿Miscellaneous 
  Intelligence. 
  473 
  

  

  work 
  and 
  lectures. 
  It 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  nearly 
  equal 
  parts, 
  an 
  

   outline 
  of 
  the 
  morphology 
  of 
  vertebrates 
  based 
  on 
  embryology, 
  

   and 
  an 
  outline 
  of 
  a 
  classification. 
  The 
  first 
  part 
  covers 
  essen- 
  

   tially 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  as 
  Wiedersheim's 
  Elements 
  of 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   parative 
  Anatomy 
  of 
  Vertebrates 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  

   arrangement, 
  the 
  morphology 
  of 
  the 
  organs 
  being 
  taken 
  up 
  under 
  

   entodermal, 
  ectodermal, 
  mesothelial, 
  and 
  mesenchymatous 
  struc- 
  

   tures. 
  This 
  is 
  followed 
  by 
  brief 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  segmentation 
  of 
  

   the 
  head, 
  the 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  ovum, 
  and 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  

   vertebrates. 
  In 
  the 
  second 
  part, 
  fossil 
  forms 
  are 
  included, 
  the 
  

   classification 
  is 
  carried 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  orders, 
  and 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  ranked 
  

   as 
  a 
  single 
  class 
  of 
  four 
  orders. 
  A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  378 
  well 
  

   chosen 
  illustrations 
  are 
  original. 
  The 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  dia- 
  

   gramatic 
  figures 
  is 
  a 
  valuable 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  which 
  includes 
  

   an 
  important 
  field 
  not 
  well 
  covered 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  text-book. 
  

  

  s. 
  I. 
  s. 
  

   5. 
  Insects^ 
  their 
  IStructure 
  and 
  Life 
  ; 
  by 
  George 
  H. 
  CAEPE^^TER. 
  

   8°, 
  pp. 
  416. 
  London, 
  1899 
  (J, 
  M. 
  Dent 
  and 
  Co.).— 
  This 
  little 
  

   treatise, 
  very 
  modestly 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  " 
  A 
  Primer 
  of 
  

   Entomology," 
  is 
  a 
  condensed 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  subject 
  of 
  

   which 
  it 
  treats, 
  written 
  in 
  simple, 
  untechnical 
  language, 
  and 
  very 
  

   fully 
  illustrated 
  with 
  well 
  selected 
  figures. 
  The 
  subjects 
  of 
  the 
  

   six 
  chapters 
  are: 
  structure, 
  life-history, 
  classification, 
  orders 
  of 
  

   insects, 
  insects 
  and 
  their 
  surroundings, 
  and 
  the 
  pedigree 
  of 
  

   insects. 
  While 
  of 
  necessity 
  a 
  compilation, 
  the 
  vast 
  mass 
  of 
  material 
  

   used 
  is 
  so 
  thoroughly 
  digested 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  date 
  that 
  the 
  result 
  

   is 
  very 
  satisfactory. 
  The 
  references 
  to 
  the 
  literature 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  volume 
  are 
  very 
  full 
  for 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  and 
  make 
  a 
  

   good 
  guide 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  recent 
  work 
  in 
  entomology. 
  

   There 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  index 
  and 
  the 
  paper 
  and 
  printing 
  are 
  excellent. 
  

  

  s. 
  I. 
  s. 
  

  

  lY. 
  Miscellaneous 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  1. 
  November 
  Meteors 
  of 
  1899. 
  — 
  It 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  certain 
  

   that 
  the 
  earth 
  at 
  this 
  crossing 
  of 
  the 
  orbit 
  of 
  the 
  Leonids 
  has 
  

   passed 
  through 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  of 
  comparatively 
  small 
  

   density. 
  Press 
  reports 
  extending 
  from 
  India, 
  where 
  Weiss 
  of 
  

   Vienna 
  had 
  stationed 
  himself, 
  to 
  California 
  agree 
  in 
  describing 
  

   the 
  shower 
  as 
  but 
  a 
  slight 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  favored 
  localities 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  display 
  of 
  Leonids 
  inferior 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  

   average 
  August 
  shower. 
  

  

  Two 
  obvious 
  reasons 
  suggest 
  themselves 
  immediately 
  for 
  this 
  

   meagerness. 
  First, 
  an 
  actual 
  large 
  variation 
  of 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  

   stream, 
  even 
  near 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  main 
  condensation, 
  one 
  of 
  which, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  remembered, 
  was 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  display 
  in 
  1833 
  and 
  

   is 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  earth's 
  orbit 
  until 
  May, 
  1900. 
  Secondly, 
  

   the 
  possibility 
  of 
  planetary 
  perturbations 
  since 
  1766, 
  when 
  the 
  

   earth 
  last 
  encountered 
  the 
  j^art 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  due 
  this 
  November, 
  

   having 
  materially 
  diverted 
  this 
  part 
  from 
  a 
  close 
  approach 
  to 
  the 
  

   earth's 
  orbit. 
  This 
  is 
  quite 
  within 
  reasonable 
  probability, 
  as, 
  

   according 
  to 
  Messrs. 
  Stoney 
  and 
  Downing, 
  the 
  perturbations 
  of 
  

  

  