﻿178 
  Miscellaneous 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  Mathematico-Physical 
  Section 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Konigl. 
  

   Sachsischen 
  Gessellschaft 
  der 
  Wissenschaften." 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  

   great 
  interest, 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  causes 
  producing 
  denudation 
  in 
  the 
  

   Egyptian 
  desert 
  and 
  its 
  results, 
  and 
  is 
  illustrated 
  by 
  many 
  excel- 
  

   lent 
  and 
  instructive 
  figures. 
  The 
  chief 
  causes 
  of 
  denudation 
  

   mentioned 
  are 
  deflation, 
  or 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  winds 
  directly 
  in 
  

   denudation 
  by 
  removing 
  whatever 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  loose 
  or 
  has 
  been 
  

   loosened 
  by 
  decomposition 
  or 
  otherwise, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  abrasion 
  

   by 
  transported 
  sands 
  ; 
  2d, 
  Insolation, 
  or 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  or 
  

   heat 
  over 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  rocks 
  by 
  changes 
  of 
  temperature 
  and 
  

   especially 
  those 
  of 
  day 
  and 
  night; 
  (3) 
  Decomposition 
  or 
  altera- 
  

   tion 
  through 
  any 
  means 
  ; 
  (4) 
  The 
  eroding 
  and 
  transporting 
  action 
  

   of 
  waters, 
  rains 
  being 
  not 
  wholly 
  absent. 
  (5) 
  Vegetation, 
  as 
  a 
  

   means 
  of 
  modifying 
  results. 
  The 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   deposits 
  are 
  also 
  described. 
  The 
  work 
  is 
  of 
  special 
  value 
  to 
  

   American 
  geologists. 
  

  

  2. 
  History 
  of 
  Volcanic 
  Action 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Isles, 
  

   by 
  A. 
  Geikie. 
  Anniversary 
  Address 
  before 
  the 
  Geological 
  So- 
  

   ciety 
  of 
  London, 
  Feb., 
  1891. 
  Quart. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Soc. 
  xlvii. 
  — 
  More 
  has 
  

   thus 
  been 
  learned 
  about 
  volcanic 
  action 
  in 
  Paleozoic 
  time 
  from 
  

   the 
  British 
  Isles 
  than 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  Dr. 
  Geikie, 
  

   in 
  his 
  Anniversary 
  Address, 
  commences 
  a 
  full 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  in- 
  

   teresting 
  subject. 
  Although 
  extending 
  to 
  one 
  hundred 
  pages, 
  

   the 
  review 
  covers 
  only 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  history, 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Silurian. 
  

  

  3. 
  3Iagnetic 
  Declination 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  for 
  the 
  Epoch 
  

   of 
  1890. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  A. 
  Schott 
  has 
  a 
  paper 
  of 
  seventy-five 
  

   pages 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  in 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  

   Coast 
  Survey, 
  Prof. 
  T. 
  C. 
  Mendenhall, 
  for 
  1889, 
  consisting 
  chiefly 
  

   of 
  tables 
  giving 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  observations 
  reduced 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  

   1890. 
  

  

  4. 
  Telescopic 
  Work 
  for 
  Starlight 
  Evenings, 
  by 
  William 
  F. 
  

   Denning, 
  F.R.A.S. 
  361 
  pp. 
  8vo. 
  London, 
  1891 
  (Taylor 
  & 
  

   Francis). 
  — 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  peculiar 
  interest 
  and 
  fascination 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  Astronomy, 
  which 
  even 
  the 
  comparatively 
  

   uneducated 
  reader 
  cannot 
  but 
  feel, 
  and 
  hence 
  there 
  exists 
  here 
  a 
  

   field 
  for 
  popular 
  presentation 
  which 
  is 
  hardly 
  equalled 
  in 
  any 
  

   other 
  branch 
  of 
  science. 
  The 
  present 
  work 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  

   and 
  is 
  fresh 
  in 
  matter, 
  attractive 
  and 
  popular 
  in 
  style 
  and 
  with 
  

   its 
  numerous 
  illustrations 
  cannot 
  fail 
  to 
  bring 
  pleasure 
  and 
  in- 
  

   struction 
  to 
  all 
  who 
  use 
  it. 
  

  

  5. 
  OsticalcVs 
  Klassiker 
  der 
  Exacten 
  Wissenschaften. 
  (Win. 
  

   Engelmann, 
  Leipzig). 
  Recent 
  issues 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  series 
  in- 
  

   clude 
  : 
  

  

  No. 
  21, 
  23. 
  Ueber 
  die 
  "Wanderung 
  der 
  Tonen 
  wahrend 
  der 
  Electrotyse. 
  Ab- 
  

   bandlungen 
  von 
  W. 
  Hittorf 
  (1853-1859). 
  

  

  No. 
  22. 
  Uiitersuchungen 
  iiber 
  das 
  Radikal 
  der 
  Benzoesaure 
  von 
  Woehler 
  und 
  

   Liebig 
  (1832). 
  

  

  No. 
  24. 
  Unterredungen 
  and 
  Matbematiscbe 
  Demoustrationen 
  iiber 
  zwei 
  neue 
  

   Wissenszweige, 
  die 
  Mechanik 
  und 
  die 
  Fallgesetze 
  betrefTeud, 
  von 
  Galileo 
  Galilei. 
  

   Dritter 
  und 
  vierter 
  Tag 
  (1638). 
  

  

  