A Handy Book of Curious Information. By William S. Walsh.
(J. B. Lippincott Co. 12s. 6d. not.)—Mr. Walsh deals with numerous subjects that admit of no general classifi- cation. All is fish that comes to his net—or rather to his scissors. Dipping into this (minium gatherum, we find the most curious and alluring material on every page. The original race for the "America" cup is described in one place. Turning backwards, we find an account of " aelurophobia "—the Isle Dr. Weir Mitchell's scientific name for the unreasoning horror which some people (Lord Roberts is said to be among them) feel for the harmless necessary eat. "By some perverse instinct, cats, it would seem, are very fond of aelurophobes." Elsewhere we learn that the penny-in-the-slot machine was known more than two thousand years ago in Egypt, where it was used for the supply of holy water to worshippers in the temples. Mr. Howells's agreeable comedy, The Elevator, had its parallel in an accident which happened at the Court of Louis XIV.
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