1.09 
paid for the latter ; but vve should first be well assured of the 
comparative utility of the glasses. 
The invention of instruments for bringing physical agents, 
such as heat, light, and electricity, to bear upon objects 
whilst under observation in the microscope is a subject which 
deserves the greatest attention. The polarisqope, the Sorby 
spectroscope, Stricke’s gas-current, hot-plates, and such 
apparatus, together with judicious and educated use of 
chemical reagents, multiply the power of the microscope as 
a means of gaining knowledge as to the form, composition, 
and meaning of structure, a hundred or even a thousand 
fold. It is in this direction that histology must advance, and 
hence the importance of such apparatus as the above named, 
which is rarely seen with English microscopes. The study 
of the action of physical agents on living tissue, on proto- 
plasm, &c., is almost unknown in this country. Would not 
the Royal Microscopical Society do well to acquire all such 
accessor)’ apparatus for examination and study by the Fel- 
lows ? The surplus money of the charter fund would be 
much better spent in acquiring foreign objectives and little- 
known apparatus than in the purchase of second-rate, or 
even first-rate books, which can be seen at any library. 
We must now turn to Mrs. Somerville’s book, which it was 
really difficult to do before, for though we hoped to gain some 
notions on the subject of microscopical science from the peru- 
sal of the volume and a half devoted to it, we have not done 
so. In the first place, let us at once say that the book is a 
very pretty one, with some nice plates of Radiolaria in blue 
and white, and many woodcuts, which are good, but not new. 
The first part, which relates to chemistry, heat, the spectrum , 
&c., is very readable, true, and appropriately named, corre- 
sponding, as we suppose it does, to the part of the title 
“ Molecular.” But where is the appropriateness in calling 
what follows “ Microscopical Science”? 
Mrs. Somerville gives a good but entirely second-hand 
account of the lower plants, with a few introductory remarks 
on cell-structure. The whole of the second volume is oc- 
cupied with similar abstracted accounts of invertebrate ani; 
mals — a large share of space being devoted to Radiolaria, 
which are described after Haeckel — whence we suppose the 
justification of the term ‘ Microscopical science.’ 
W e are sorry that Mrs. Somerville has written this book, 
or rather that part of it relating to organic beings. She is 
a lady who has attained a great name by her acquaintance 
with physics ; but it is evident that she does not comprehend 
biology as well as we believe she docs other departments of 
