to set before them, a good deal of humour, and
not a little flippancy. Moreover, he speaks with the assured confidence in his opinions that spares his auditors the trouble of thought. Whether he has done wisely in filling a volume with his essays
we think, doubtful. Perpetual liveliness is apt to grow a little wearisome, and there is no greater bore in society than the man who is always striving to be funny. Mr. Allen is an adept in the art, and there is probably not a page in this volume in which something is not said with the design of raising a laugh. A single essay written in this strain by a clever man is agreeable enough, but the publication of twenty-one essays designed to make science amusing, may defeat the author's purpose. Mr. Allen, indeed, seems to think that an excuse is needed for his scientific con- fectionary. "Some people," he writes, "complain that science is dry. That is, of course, a matter of taste. For my own part, I like my science and my champagne as dry as I can get them. But the public thinks otherwise. So I have ventured to sweeten accompany- ing samples as far as possible to suit the demand, and trust they will meet with the approbation of consumers." Well, no doubt it is a matter of taste, and possibly the writer of these clever papers may have accurately gauged that of his public.
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