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Butterflies and Moths of Eurofe. By \V. F. Kirby, F. L.S. Parts II. — 
Cassell and Co. Price yd. each net. 
The last few years have undoubtedly witnessed a marked advance in the 
possibility of providing really good colour-printing at a very low price. In this 
work Me>srs. Cassell have taken a leading part. We do not think, however, 
that in any of the serial and other works issued by them has so high a standard 
of technical e.xcellence been attained as in the present series. Plate 8 repre- 
senting the Vanessas is really beautiful, though in singling it out we have no wish 
to disparage the others. Many larvae and food-plants are figured and additional 
illustrations are given in the text. Mr. Kirby has taken the opportunity of the 
re-issue to revise what is already recognised as a standard e.xample of the best 
class of popular natural history books. 
The Face of Nature : Popular Readings in Elementary Science. By the Kev. 
C. J. Ovenden, D.D. John Murray. Price 2s. 
Canon Ovenden tells in the simplest language possible the stories of weather 
forecasting, vegetable life, the record of the rocks and “ a common stone,” and 
gives us eighiy-six simple diagrammatic outline drawings for lantern-slides to 
illustrate the four lectures. He should have been more careful to select truly 
authoritative works as the bases of his compilation ; but we are bound to add 
that we have detected very few inaccuracies. “ The Great Ice -\ge ” is not by 
Sir Archibald Geikie, and we never before heard the suggestion that the Glacier- 
garden at Lucerne was the work of the Rhone glacier. It is hardly advisable 
now-a-days to speak of Eozdon as an animal without qualific.ation. 
The Ross Bird-stalker : a Book for Field Naturalists. By Charles Dixon. Ross, 
Ltd., New Bond Street. Price 6d. 
This is a report on the advantages, possibilities and uses of the Ross Prism 
Binocular as applied to Field Natural History, illustrated by some exquisite 
examples of what may be seen by means of it. Though primarily, no doubt, a 
trade advertisement, Mr. Dixon’s position, and the careful tests he has applied, 
give to this pamphlet more than the usual weight of a mere puff, while r»o one 
who has ever used one of these instruments will think that he has said a word too 
much in their favour. 
Astronomy with an Opera-glass. By Garrett P. Serviss. Eighth edition. 
Hirschfeld Brothers. Price 6.s. net. 
The fact that this manual has in a very few years passed into its eighth edition 
proves that, in showing what can be done in astronomy without costly special 
appliances, it has met a want. Of its five chapters, four deal with the stars of 
spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively, and the fifth with the moon, 
planets and sun. Twenty star-maps are given, besides other illustrations. 
East Kent Scientific and Natural History Society. Reports and Transactions. 
Series II., vol. i. Edited by A. Lander. Canterbury. 
The use of newspaper reports of meetings printed in double columns certainly 
enables our Canterbury friends to give their members a good deal of matter. 
This annual report contains fifty quarto pages and is illustrated by a portrait 
of the late Mr. Stephen Horsley, who died while President of the Society, and 
by eight other whole-page illustrations. Many of the papers are admirable and 
practical, though local Natural History figures but little. It cannot, however, 
be said that the type is pleasant or the size convenient. 
Agricultural Botany, Theoretical and Practical. By Prof. J. Percival. Second 
Edition. Duckworth and Co. Price 7s. 6d. net. 
We are not surprised that Professor Percival’s “ Agricultural Botany ” has 
required a second edition in less than two years after its first appearance. There 
was no work of the kind in existence. A quarter of a century ago agricultural 
students had an excellent manual — for that date — in Professors Church and 
Dyer’s edition of Johnson’s “ How Crops Grow” ; but the purely botanical aspect 
