1876.] Notices of Booh. 385 
pearance of the first edition of the work, in 1868, he has accu- 
mulated a large body of additional fadts, the more important of 
which have been made use of to strengthen the argument. 
Doubtful statements have been omitted, and certain errors disco- 
vered by critics have been eliminated. The value of the work 
has thus been greatly increased. Even those who feel or affedt 
a horror at the very name of the illustrious author cannot, we 
think, deny that he has laid before the world in this, as in his 
other books, a store of valuable fadts such as has rarely been 
amassed before. Even if his theories should in the course of 
time be merged in some wider and more complete generalisation, 
his merit as an acute and patient investigator of fadts can never 
be disputed. If any man wishes to become a naturalist, we 
would say to him — “ In addition to the adtual study of things, 
read Darwin ; read him pen in hand, not necessarily with unhe- 
sitating belief, but critically, or if you will even sceptically, so 
long as your scepticism is candid and scientific. If you do not 
find everywhere suggestions how, where, and what to observe, 
you have mistaken your vocation, and will never make a worthy 
student of animal or vegetable life. 
For the benefit of those who possess the first edition of this 
book, a table of additions and corredtions is appended. 
Physical Geography , or the Terraqueous Globe and its Pheno* 
mena. By W. Desborough Cooley. London : Dulau 
and Co. 
This book begins with a preface in which the nature and scope 
of “ Physical Geography ” are discussed. On this subjedt it 
would appear that some diversity of opinion, not to say con- 
fusion, prevails. The ordinary distindtion between Physical and 
Political Geography is charadterised as “ a feeble and useless 
attempt to distinguish between a description of the earth and a 
description of the countries and kingdoms of the earth, the natu- 
ral philosophy involved with geographical considerations being 
in the meantime forgotten.” 
The most important and interesting portion of the work is the 
last chapter, in which the author, though not hostile to the 
nebular hypothesis of Laplace, combats the ordinarily received 
notion that the earth was at one time a liquid globe. He declares 
that “ in order that it should take a spheroidal figure it was not 
necessary that it should be fluid.” Of an original fused condi- 
tion there remains on the earth no trace. “ Since aerolites,” he 
asks, “ are continually falling on the earth, why might they not 
have fallen in the first instance ? Why may not the earth, or at 
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