Science in Arcady. By Grant Allen. (Lawrence and Bullen.) —Mr.
Grant Allen is one of those writers who have the scientific- habit of thought united to a literary expression of an at- tractive kind. It has been said that Science has lost as much as Literature has gained by Mr. G. Allen's devotion to fiction. Perhaps more, for few men have the sparkling lucidity and the sudden and often odd bursts of satire and sarcasm that he brings to bear on the sciences. His humour is somewhat fin de slide, it is true; and quaint little twists and distortions, almost childish, appear occasionally, purposely perhaps,—certainly they amuse us, whether meant to do so or not. As examples of our author's lucidity and happiness of illustration, we would
instance My Island," in which an aerial being is supposed to relate the upheaval of the Azores and the gradual stocking of the place with plants and birds and insects brought by storms mostly from the European continent, or washed ashore as wreckage. It is really an admirable example of popular science. "An English Shire" treats of the history of Sussex, from its; geological birth up to Roman times,—subsequent history, as Mr. G. Allen declares, being absolutely uninteresting, merely "George IV. and the Brighton Pavilion." He thinks enough attention has not been paid to the effect of geological surround- ings on generations of men. Certainly, Sussex was insulated as a district, and still bears traces of it. This is also good reading, though we may not all feel inclined to accept its details. In "The Bronze Age" he is pleased to be humorous, and, of its kind, his humour is good enough. Though they are not new to many readers,these dozen or so scientific gossips are so fresh and vigorous, that we are glad to have the opportunity of recommending them in a collected form to those who desire some knowledge made digestible, and who will find it here with as sound a basis as can reasonably be expected.
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