Glimpses of Nature. By Dr. Andrew Wilson. (Chatto and Windus.)—Dr.
Andrew Wilson's work in the popularising of natural history is so well known and 83 much appreciated, that it is scarcely necessary to do more than describe some of the contents of his new volume. The curious little creatures that give a phos- phorescent charm to the sea at night, star-fish, lobsters, sponges, salmon (a chapter in which Dr. Wilson contrives to give much information within a small compass), and, to pass to another kingdom of Nature, dandelion-down and holly-berries, are among his subjects. Sometimes he goes into deeper matters, as when he
discusses "The Problem of Life" (not how it originates, but how it should be lived), and "What is Mesmerism?" A chapter on "The Spleen" is an attempt to solve a much-vexed question.
Commonly it is thought that the spleen has no other function than to get itself enlarged, and so put an end to life. Dr. Wilson thinks that "the old and useless rolling-stock of the blood is got rid of within its environs, while new rolling-stock is built and prepared for the various uses of the system."
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