Meteors, Aerolites, and Falling Stars. By T. L. Phipson. (Lovell,
Reeve, and Co.)—The star shower of last November found this work almost printed off, but though it did not suggest the book, it will do something towards finding it readers. Mr. Phipson comments on the strange inattention of scientific men to the subject of aerolites till the end of the last century. Yet, since their attention has been called to the subject, they have boon rewarded by constant and copious falls, as if aerolites liked to be honoured by scientific notice. Perhaps an ac- count of those which fell before the present century would prove tedious, if it could b3 as full as the account of the more modern aerolites. But almost every instance recorded by Mr. Phipson has its peculiarities, and the more facts are collected the greater is our chance of forming a general appreciation of the subject. Mr. Phip- son enters at some length into a description of the chemical com- position of aerolites, and mentions certain attempts to form them artificially. Of the scientific value of these chapters we do not pre- sume to speak, but they have a popular aspect to which we have tried to do justice.
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