n8 Notices of Books. ' January, 
out the boilers floods the bilges with hot water loaded with saline 
and greasy matter.” One of the evils of the high temperature 
is the thirst of the men, and the immoderate quantity of water — 
plain or acidulated with vinegar or lime-juice — consumed. “ In 
Europe it amounts to 3 or 4 quarts, and is at least doubled in 
the tropics.” We have observed in various chemical works that 
the men employed in very hot situations quench their thirst with 
water to which a trace of sulphuric acid has been added : according 
to our observation and personal experience this is a far safer 
beverage than any dilution of the vegetable acids, especially 
vinegar. 
A section of this work is devoted to an exposure of the evils 
arising on board French ships from the use of cooking utensils 
lined with an alloy of tin and lead. As a matter of course lead- 
poisoning manifests itself in all its insidious forms. French 
cooks, by sea and land, appear to have an unfortunate predilec- 
tion for this deadly alloy, which they call la claire. No metal 
ought to touch human food save iron or silver. The former has 
been too often rejected from the unfortunate mistake of taking 
colour into account — an idea which belongs to the dye-house, 
and should be totally unknown in the kitchen. 
In conclusion, we feel bound to express our opinion of the 
high value of this book, and we hope that it will meet with a 
wide circulation among all persons interested in nautical matters. 
Rambles in Search of Shells, Land and Fresh-water. By J. E. 
Harting, F.L.S., F.Z.S. London : J. Van Voorst. 
It may be asked why our land and fresh-water shells have 
hitherto enjoyed so little popular attention ? They are by no 
means deficient in interest and beauty ; they are more easily 
captured than inserts, and their preservation is easy. The sub- 
ject, as the author remarks, may easily be studied in connection 
with botany, or, we may add, with entomology. Why, then, 
should land shells be so much less regarded than their oceanic 
kinsmen whose habits can be less easily studied ? The entire 
number of species of terrestrial and fresh-water Mollusca found 
in the British Islands does not, as far as at present known, 
exceed 120. By the way, whilst we think too great attention 
cannot be paid to recording the geographical distribution of 
every form of organic life, we have never been able to understand 
the mania for “ British specimens ” common among a certain 
class of naturalists, or, we might rather say, of collectors. 
England is no natural zoological province, but merely a portion 
of Western Europe which has become detached from the main- 
land by the gradual aCtion of the sea. The naturalist who 
excludes all French or Belgian specimens from his cabinet 
