108 
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 
( 
PBLiCATIONS RECEIVED. 
A Bambler’s Lease. By Bradford Torrey. Boston and New 
York, Hougditen, Miflin and Company, 1889. 
This is a charming book from beginning to end, for with magic pen 
the author opens wide the gates which lead into the enchanting realms 
of Nature, and bids his readers follow him while he converses most pleas- 
antly of the wonders which are there. Wonders, which as Mr. Torrey 
shows, are in open sight, yet are seen by a very few, but under the skil- 
ful guidance of our talented aufhor, he must be dull indeed who cannot 
appreciate the beauties which lie all about us. One of the most note- 
worthy things about this work is the fact that Mr. Torrey teaches, that I 
much can be done toward advancing our knowledge of animals without 
taking their lives, This is especially shown in regard to what one can- 
not fail to see are his favorites among his many friends, namely, the 
birds, and after reading some of his chapters in which he has given an 
account of his feathered acquaintances, those of us who can count our 
avian victims by the th ousands, feel fairly ashamed of our murderous 
exploits. I for one can say that I shall never again take the nest of a 
vireo of any species with any degree of satisfaction, for I shall never for- 
get Mr. Torrey’s story of his pet, blue-headed vireos, 
I read this little volume with great interest and re-read it with great- 
er pleasure every time I take it in hand, and most heartily wish that 
this book could be in the possession of all of our young people. Beyond 
all doubt the study of Natural History is elevating to a high degree, and 
in this work the subject is presented so pleasingly that it cannot fail to 
awaken the interest of even the most apathetic. 
Deep Sea Mollusks and the Conditions under which they 
Exist. By WTlliam HealyDall. Authors extra from the proceedings 
of the Biological Society of Washington, D. C., Yol. V, 1888-1890. 
In this, one of the most interesting and valuable papers upon zool- 
ogy that I have ever read, the author gives with sufficient detail the 
changes which mollusks, that inhabit the deepest portions of the ocean 
have undergonein order to exist. To those who have never investigated 
{lie matter, it is difficult to understand how different the environment in 
these profound depths is from that in the sea nearer the surface. At 
2.000 fathoms ( 12,000 feet ) under the ocean no ray of light can penetrate’ ^ 
the water is icy cold but above all the pressure is so great that it “may 
