1880. } Recent Literature. 729 
vations of many hundreds of points are given in feet above sea 
level, and to illustrate the careful nature of the work, it may be 
noted that those measured by spirit-level are distinguishtd from 
those dependent upon the barometer, 
It is to be hoped, in the interest of map-making in this country, 
that Mr. Nell may see his way clear to extending his work and 
making this one of a series—H. Gannett. 
HAECKEL’S System oF Mepusa.!—The early reputation of 
Haeckel rested mainly on his great work on the Radiolaria, a 
magnificent and costly folio volume with numerous beautifully 
executed plates ; this was succeeded by his smaller works on the 
Monera and other invertebrate animals; his great work on 
sponges then succeeded; in the embryological portion of this 
work some errors have naturally been detected by subsequent 
observers. Then Haeckel prepared his popular, more general 
works, z. e., the General Morphology, his History of Creation and 
Anthropology, In these works he gave rein to his imagination, 
and while he attempted to solve problems insoluble in our day 
and with our preseat knowledge, and though opening up new 
lines of investigation, yet committed some extravagances of scien- 
tific thought, and in some statements, and especially illustrations 
from his prolific pencil, overstrained or actually misrepresente 
that the best of observers and thinkers sometimes do what proves 
later to be rash, useless or actually misleading work. pan 
The part before us describes the Craspedote, or naked-eyed 
Das System der Medusen. Erster theil einer Monographie der Medusen. Von 
Dr. Exxst HagcKEL. Mit einem Atlas m. 40 plates. Erste hälfte des ersten Theils. 
System der Craspedoten. 20 Tafeln. Jena, 1879, folio. (Denkschriften der Med. 
Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft zu Jena.) Pages 360. 
VOL. XIV.-—-NO. X. 47 : 
