Notices of Books. 
i877*] 
269 
earth may be likened to that of a ball suspended from a string 
and twisted around, and the earth goes upon its orbit as one 
cone rolls round the surface of another. This theory explains, 
satisfactorily, therefore, the observed motion of the earth, which 
seems to be going forward by twisting itself backwards in a way 
quite different to our common notion of the manner in which a 
sphere or carriage-wheel should roll onwards. 
“ The cones are masses of vapour at its greatest density for 
the temperature, of sufficient strength and power to sustain the 
planets in their places, and the distances of the planets accord 
with the volumes of steam which sustain similar weights.’ 
The Puzzle of Life and how it has been put together , a Short 
History of Vegetable and Animal Life 'upon the Earth from 
the Earliest Times. By Arthur Nicols, F.R.G.S. London: 
Longmans and Co. 
We have here an elementary treatise on geology and palae- 
ontology adapted to the comprehension of young children. The 
language is plain, the descriptions are lucid, the illustrations apt, 
and the broad fadts of the science are very corredlly stated. 
The work, too, is perfectly free from all attempts at fine writing, 
and from those peculiar passages we occasionally meet with 
which prove that their author is thinking more of himself than 
of his subjedf. Trains of argument are of course absent, and 
the thread of the subjedf is not overlaid with a perplexing mul- 
titude of details. Nor, on the other hand, has Mr. Nicols 
deemed it judicious to obscure his theme with “ the mist of 
romance.” He remarks, and we believe quite truly, that 
“ children soon begin to look with contempt on fidtion when 
applied to natural philosophy, and I would not consciously 
impose on them the grave task of unlearning anything.” But 
whilst we feel bound to express our approbation of the manner 
in which the author has carried out his undertaking, we cannot: 
help expressing a doubt as to the reception the book will meet 
with among children of an average class. From the Dedication 
and from some expressions in the Preface we should infer that 
the author has brought the subjedl-matter of these pages before 
a number of children in viva voce lessons or conversations, and 
has succeeded in awakening their interest and in reaching their 
understanding. But children are confessedly reached much 
more readily in this manner than through the medium of printed 
paper. We wish the book success as at any rate an attempt to 
lay before the young fadt instead of fidtion, 
