“Judge Stallo’s work is an inquiry into the validity of those mechanical conceptions of the universe which are now held as fundamental in physical science. He takes up the leading modern doctrines which are based upon this mechanical conception, such as the atomic constitution of matter, the kinetic theory of gases, the conservation of energy, the nebular hypothesis, and other views, to find how much stands upon solid empirical ground, and how much rests upon metaphysical speculation. Since the appearance of Dr. Draper’s ‘[Religion and Science],’ no book has been published in the country calculated to make so deep an impression on thoughtful and educated readers as this volume.... The range and minuteness of the author’s learning, the acuteness of his reasoning, and the singular precision and clearness of his style, are qualities which very seldom have been jointly exhibited in a scientific treatise.”—New York Sun.
[THE FORMATION OF VEGETABLE MOULD, THROUGH THE ACTION OF WORMS, WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THEIR HABITS.] By Charles Darwin, LL. D., F. R. S., author of “[On the Origin of Species],” etc., etc. With Illustrations. 12mo, cloth. Price, $1.50.
“Mr. Darwin’s little volume on the habits and instincts of earth-worms is no less marked than the earlier or more elaborate efforts of his genius by freshness of observation, unfailing power of interpreting and correlating facts, and logical vigor in generalizing upon them. The main purpose of the work is to point out the share which worms have taken in the formation of the layer of vegetable mould which covers the whole surface of the land in every moderately humid country. All lovers of nature will unite in thanking Mr. Darwin for the new and interesting light he has thrown upon a subject so long overlooked, yet so full of interest and instruction, as the structure and the labors of the earth-worm.”—Saturday Review.
“Respecting worms as among the most useful portions of animate nature, Dr. Darwin relates, in this remarkable book, their structure and habits, the part they have played in the burial of ancient buildings and the denudation of the land, in the disintegration of rocks, the preparation of soil for the growth of plants, and in the natural history of the world.”—Boston Advertiser.
ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS. A Record of Observations on the Habits of the Social Hymenoptera. By Sir John Lubbock, Bart., M. P., F. R. S., etc., author of “Origin of Civilization, and the Primitive Condition of Man,” etc., etc. With Colored Plates. 12mo, cloth, $2.00.
“This volume contains the record of various experiments made with ants, bees, and wasps during the last ten years, with a view to test their mental condition and powers of sense. The principal point in which Sir John’s mode of experiment differs from those of Huber, Forel, McCook, and others, is that he has carefully watched and marked particular insects, and has had their nests under observation for long periods—one of his ants’ nests having been under constant inspection ever since 1874. His observations are made principally upon ants because they show more power and flexibility of mind; and the value of his studies is that they belong to the department of original research.”
“We have no hesitation in saying that the author has presented us with the most valuable series of observations on a special subject that has ever been produced, charmingly written, full of logical deductions, and, when we consider his multitudinous engagements, a remarkable illustration of economy of time. As a contribution to insect psychology, it will be long before this book finds a parallel.”—London Athenæum.
DISEASES OF MEMORY: An Essay in the Positive Psychology. By Th. Ribot, author of “Heredity,” etc. Translated from the French by William Huntington Smith. 12mo, cloth, $1.50.
“M. Ribot reduces diseases of memory to law, and his treatise is of extraordinary interest.”—Philadelphia Press.
“Not merely to scientific, but to all thinking men, this volume will prove intensely interesting.”—New York Observer.