REVIEWS. 
193 
certain stories of men whose devotion to natural history was so thorough that 
they were capable of doing excessive ordinary work from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m., and 
then, without restingfor even half-an-hour at home, going out again, naturalis- 
ing till it was past daylight, and then lying down under a tree till morning’s 
sun enabled them once more to set about their excursion. Of course, accounts 
of this kind are utterly valueless, and wherever they occur the reader will do 
well to bear this fact in mind. Still, there is a good deal of honest truth about 
the book ; and, inasmuch as it rescues from oblivion a number of men who, 
however humble their qualities, are infinitely too noble to be allowed to be 
absolutely forgotten, it has a very excellent purpose. The author is clearly 
himself one of the number of men whom he describes, and therefore his 
calling attention to one of the subjects of his work, as one of the most 
remarkable scientific men of modern times, must be taken for what it is 
worth ; we confess, ourselves, to never having heard the name of the 
gentleman before. However, there is no doubt that the biographer has 
done his work, if not wisely, at least too well, and we owe him our thanks 
for the volume. 
THE MICRO-SPECTROSCOPE AND ITS WORK.* 
M R. W. T. SUFFOLK has by these lectures on the spectroscope sup- 
plied a want, and has given the opportunity to microscopic workers to 
do a little work — and perhaps original work — at the subject of spectrum 
analysis. These lectures were originally delivered orally before the South 
London Microscopical Club ; and Mr. T. Gr. Ackland, the honorary registrar 
to that society, has very carefully transcribed them. They are, of course, 
purely elementary, but will nevertheless be exceedingly valuable to those 
who cannot purchase works like Roscoe’s. They are well printed, are excel- 
lently illustrated with a series of woodcuts and seven lithographic plates of 
spectra, one of which gives the spectral bands in colours of fourteen objects ; 
some of them being elements, some compounds, and some the peculiar spectra 
given by certain heavenly bodies. The author gives credit to Mr. Browning 
for having supplied certain of the substances from which bands are taken, 
and this, we think, he is justified in doing, for Mr. Browning’s collection is 
by no means an ordinary one, as we know from personal experience. 
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE MOON.f 
W ITHOUT the slightest doubt this book must have an extensive sale, if 
it is properly advertised; and our reason for saying so is that the authors 
have hit upon a new feature in giving so many grandly-executed views of 
* u Spectrum Analysis, as applied to Microscopical Observation, &c.” By 
W. T. Suffolk, F.R.M.S. London : John Browning. 
t “The Moon: Considered as a Planet, a World, and a Satellite.” By 
James Nasmyth, C.E. ; and James Carpenter, F.R.A.S., late of the Royal 
Observatory. London : John Murray, 1874. 
YOL. XIII. — NO. LI. 
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