THE expressions of approval of the physiography syllabus of the Science and Art Department by the British Association Committee on science teaching lend an additional interest to new text-books of this subject. The book before us covers the portion of the syllabus dealing with the movements of the earth. We believe Mr. Mills has occasionally been employed as an Assistant Demonstrator at the Normal School of Science, and on the strength of this he claims to have had four years' experience as a teacher of the subject in that institution, It is rather late for Mr. Mills to state that,“ in the hope of encouraging teachers and students to make the subject a more practical one, instructions have been given for I making some inexpensive apparatus,”considering that I all the practical work given is taken from the book of instructions supplied to students at the Normal School, and which was distributed by the authorities of the Science and Art Department to teachers throughout the country some months ago, with the sole object of encouraging practical demonstrations in classes. Anyone can now obtain the same for twopence. There are many indications that the author is only acquainted with a limited part of the subject. The article on the use of the micrometer, for example (p. 25), is sure to-impart the idea that a definite fraction of an inch represents a definite amount of arc, irrespective of the telescope employed; and that, in consequence, the distance between two stars or the apparent diameter of a planet can be stated in inches; further, the zero for position angles is given as “ the normally horizontal wire” which is obviously an inconstant, and therefore useless one. Wrong impressions are also given as to the functions of the “ Nautical Almanac,” for p. 81 distinctly implies that it is a record of actual observations, whereas it is published three or four years in advance. Again, on p. 20, it is stated that the transit circle is made to read 90° when the telescope is pointing to the Pole, and therefore that “ when the telescope is directed to any star crossing the meridian we obtain the north polar distance of the star, and this being known, we can easily determine its declination,” which is neither clear nor correct. Lessons on Elementary Physiographic Astronomy. By John Mills. (London: Chapman and Hall, 1889.)