238 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



opinions of other contemporary philosophers which must have 

 vexed the spirit of Eedi, we read of Servius, the Grammarian, 

 who " turned everything topsy-turvy by asserting that drones 

 come from horses, hornets from mules, and wasps from asses." 

 We have also a delightful account of one experiment made by 

 our reformer. " Having had frequent proof that animals killed 

 by a snake's bite, or by tobacco, which is a terrible poison, can 

 be eaten with impunity," he gave some Pigeons killed by " the 

 sting of the angry Scorpion " to a poor man, "who was over- 

 joyed, and ate them with great gusto, and they agreed with him 

 very well." 



Here we must leave Francesco Eedi, and with no better 

 remembrance than his modest termination to his book, which 

 was addressed to Carlo Dati : — " In the meanwhile, be assured 

 that this letter or book, as you please to call it, has come to you 

 not for praise but for correction, which I heartily beg you to 

 give ; being well aware that — 



' My name unto the world is little known.' " 



The translation appears to be well done and expressed in 

 simple language, while the book may well be read as a descrip- 

 tion of the biological outlook of two hundred and fifty years ago. 

 Let us also modestly consider what may be the biological verdict 

 of our present-day conceptions two hundred and fifty years 

 hence. 



The British Freshwater Rhizopoda and Heliozoa. By James 

 Cash. Assisted by John Hopkinson, F.L.S., &c. Eay 



Society. 



In our volume for 1906 we drew the reader's attention to the 

 first volume of this monograph ; the second is now published, 

 and contains the second part of the Ehizopoda. 



It is one of the merits of most monographs that they soon 

 become behind the time ; they focus the knowledge to date, 

 arouse enthusiasm in new workers, and thus cause the publica- 

 tion of other work which should represent new material and 

 method, but which would never have appeared but for the earlier 

 volume. The very first paragraph in the present volume is 



