Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 89 



yet appeared, gives bright promise of the phenomenal success of 

 the whole. It consists of eight chapters, covering 296 pages, with 

 more than two hundred illustrations and ten colored plates. 



The book begins with a survey of the universe, with a simply- 

 stated but thrilling ' ' romance of the heavens. ' ' Then follows the 

 story of evolution, with an account of the evolution of the earth, 

 the hypothetical origin of life, the beginnings of life, and its 

 evolution through the ages. The reader is next shown the mar- 

 velous adaptations of organisms to their environment, the endless 

 struggle for existence, followed by the ascent of man. Now 

 comes an analysis of the evolutionary changes taking place in 

 man and other organisms at the present day and the wonderful 

 progress which may result from man's intelligent propagation 

 of desirable types selected from the multitude of new forms 

 which nature is constantly producing. The dawn of mind is 

 next taken up for discussion and the reader is led from the simple 

 reaction systems of the lower forms of life to the eventual devel- 

 opment of intelligence and reason. 



With the completion of the storey of evolutionary biology the 

 reader's attention is directed to that most fascinating and 

 speculative subject, the foundations of the universe. In this 

 final chapter of the book the atom is analyzed in terms that any 

 one may understand, the electron is pictured, and the inferences 

 as to the relation of matter and energy are pointed out. 



At the end of each article is a short list of the books in which 

 the reader can follow the subject to which the chapter has been 

 so auspicious an introduction. 



It will be readily admitted that the aim of the book "to give 

 the reader a clear and concise view of the essentials of present- 

 day science' 7 will be fully realized if the remaining volumes are 

 of the character of the first w. r. c. 



2. Publications of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 

 D. C; Charles D. \Valcott, Secretary. — The Annual Report 

 for 1920 has been recently received. This is a volume of over 

 700 pages, containing the Secretary's report already noticed (vol. 

 1, pp. 95, 96) : also the General Appendix (pp. 145-690) embrac- 

 ing twenty-seven papers of wide interest all illustrated by excel- 

 lent plates. 



Explorations and Field Work in 1921. Pp. 128. — The paper 

 (pp. 1-22) by the Secretary, giving a Summary of his continued 

 work in the Canadian Rockies for 1921, opens this pamphlet and 

 aside from its scientific value will charm the reader by the repro- 

 ductions of the beautiful photographs taken by Dr. and Mrs. 

 Walcott in the region studied to the northwest of the Lake Louise 

 Station. 



Other papers, by various authors in different regions, deal with 

 paleontological. astrophysical, botanical, entomological and 



