Ocean Wonders: A Companion for the Seaside. freely illustrated from Living Objects. By William E. Damon. New York: D. Appleton & Co. Pp. 229. Price, $1.50.
This is an elegant little volume, profusely and beautifully illustrated, and abounding in descriptions of those curious creatures of the sea, most of which can be actually observed by the dwellers upon the shore. It is hence very properly designated as a companion for the seaside. But that which is unique in the volume, and gives it its peculiar value, is the author's first-hand familiarity with his subject, and the large amount of trustworthy, practical information it contains, that will be of use to those who wish to make collections for themselves. In this respect the author's testimony is emphatic and decisive. He says: "It is not so easy as it appears at the first glance to assure success in establishing a private aquarium. Whatever value this volume possesses is due to the fact that I give no second-hand directions, but the results and deductions of my own dearly bought personal experience, attained at a considerable outlay, not only of time and trouble, but also of money, in obtaining many rare and scarce specimens of marine life, and in experiments to ascertain the kind of animals which would survive captivity. In the latter, I hope my directions or hints will materially diminish the amount of expenditure for such amateurs as may peruse this book."
The volume is admirably written, but of this our readers may judge for themselves, as some of Mr. Damon's contributions to natural history have already appeared in "The Popular Science Monthly."
The Life and Letters of Frances Baroness Bunsen. By Augustus J. C. Hare. Two volumes in one. New York: Routledge & Sons. Pp. 1,002. Price, $5.
Frances Waddington was the daughter of an English baronet, who lived in Wales. When she was at the age of eighteen, the family visited Rome, and she there met, captivated, and married young Charles Bunsen, a German, and afterward distinguished as a diplomatist and historian. They lived some twenty years in Rome, during which Bunsen represented the Prussian Government in an official capacity; and he was then sent to London to represent Prussia at the Court of St. James. He retained this position, residing in London, about a dozen years, when the family returned to Germany. The Baroness was a woman of remarkable character, who had a long career in the most favored circles of English and Continental society. She left the record of her observations and experience in a great number of letters, which her biographer, Mr. Hare, has made free use of in editing the work. She had a large family, to which she was greatly devoted, and the history of her life is an eminently wholesome and instructive piece of biographical work.
The American Plant-Book, for the Convenient Preservation and Analysis of Pressed Flowers, Ferns, Leaves, and Grasses. By Harlan H. Ballard and Proctor Thayer. Slote & Co., 1879.
This book, which is neatly bound, provides for the fastening of about one hundred flowers upon its pages. Opposite the page which holds the plant there is printed a guide to the careful description of it, with blanks for the insertion of all particulars, and also for its classification. The frontispiece is an accurate engraving of poison ivy and poison sumach, the only plants in the northern United States which are seriously poisonous to the hand. Being brilliant and attractive, it is important that the collector should be warned beforehand, that he may avoid the danger. The book has also an introduction, with directions how to gather and press flowers. It is certainly a more desirable arrangement for its purpose than the home-made herbariums in common use.
Lecture Notes on Chemical Physiology and Pathology. By Victor C. Vaughan, M. D., Ph. D., of the University of Michigan. Second edition, revised and enlarged. Ann Arbor Publishing Company. Pp. 315.
The prompt sale of the first edition of these notes has led the author to enlarge it. Its character is expressed in its title, and it claims to be, not a complete treatise, but merely a practical guide to the working student. This book seems to be executed with care and judgment, and medical students especially who desire a thorough preparation in the physiological applications of modern chemistry will find it valuable.
