Nature Vol. 266 17 March /977 285 or in The Crabs of Sagami Bay (1965), Carcinological are not described again. Underwater optics fauna of Japan _Throughout, references and synony­ Marine Optics. By N. G. Jerlov. mies, material examined, habitat with ( Elsevier Oceanography Series, No. 14.) Crabs of Japan and the Adjacent Seas. occa~ional ecological notes, type Pp. xiii+ 231. (Elsevier: Amsterdam locality and general distribution are By Tune Sakai. Volume 1: English Oxford and New York, 1976.) Dfl.77 : given. Mention is made of ~ome text+ figs. Pp. i-xxix + 772. Volume 529.75. recently described species not seen by 2; Plates. Pp. 250. Volume 3: Japan­ the author. Quite a large percentage ese text. Pp. 460. (Kodansha: Tokyo; Ar first sight this hook seems to be a are endemic; a few are known only Antiquariaat Junk: Lochem, The glossier and larger version of Jerlov's from Japan and some remote locality Netherlands. 1976.) Dfl.550 the set. Optical Oceanography (Elsevier Ocean­ like Ceylon, or Madagascar. Many are ography Series, No. 5, 1968); indeed the widely distributed throughout the earlier hook is still advertised on the DURI NG the past two decades research lndo-West Pacific. dust co·, er of the present book, which on the carcinological fauna of Japan Because of the great economic im­ see .. ,~ a little strange. A closer look has made rapid progress, resulting in portance of some of the cold water shows that the numher of figures has in­ many additions to the species of crabs. crab-like Anomura of the family creased from 83 to 137, tables from 28 The author of this handsomely pro­ Lithodidae, fifteen species (two new to to 37 , but pages only from 173 to 203. science) are described duced, up-to-date, and definitive and illustrated Impressively, the references have in­ monograph has kept abreast with the in an Appendix. Bibliographies for creased from 296 to no less than 548, recent literature and incorporated the the Brachyura and the Lithodidae. of which nearly 200 are post-1968. This and a systematic resu Its of over forty years of field index, complete the certainly confirms the author's state­ English text. The work and research. Considerable author's English is ment that progress in ocean optics is always easy to follow, and the Japan­ changes in classification and nomen­ being made at a rapid rate. ese text is apparently clature have therefore been made­ intended for the In revising the book the author has use of students and non-specialists. for example, to the family Potamoni­ eliminated some earlier references and The colour plates are excellent. dae after Bott, 1970; and to the genus included many others, as well as adding About 600 beautiful Vea after Crane, 1975. paintings after so much new work. In particular one living or frozen crabs, specially pre­ About 885 species of Brachyura, should mention the large number of pared by the author's wife, are repro­ referable to 329 genera and 30 Russian and eastern European referen­ duced: and a numher of rather families, are dealt with taxonomically, ces (ahout 70) in the recent volume, striking colour photographs of crabs and nearly all are illustrated. Numer­ compared with about 30 in the earlier in their natural habitats are included. ous keys are given to the determina­ one. The author's technique in revising The book will be useful for spec.ialists tion of most categories from super­ has been mainly to repeat word for working on the fauna of the whole of families to subspecies. Exceptions are, word the 1968 book, here and there the I ndo-Pacific region. for example, species of Ebalia, which inserting new paragraphs or tagging on require revision; and genera in the Isabella Gordon bibliographical information. The extra Alliance Xanthoida, because Mme 30 pages are mostly made up by the Isabella Gordon recently retired after Guinot's investigations are still in pro­ extra figures and tables. gress. Well known species, or ones many years as Head of the Crustacea Section at the British Museum (Natural It should be stressed there is almost described in the earlier monograph, History), London. UK. no re-writing of the 1968 text and thus it becomes necessary to justify the production (and purchase) of the new six closely-printed quarto pages. The volume purely on the extra information ISIS bibliography classification scheme needs ten pages of included. The price of about £18 does /SIS Cumulative Bibliography: A Bibliog­ explanation. That scheme allows the more seem high but the eminence of the raphy of the History of Science formed than twenty thousand entries to be author and the assembling of so much from ISIS Critical Bibliographies 1-90, arranged and cross-indexed under approx­ extra material probably does justify 1913- 65 . Vol. 3; Subjects. Edited by M. imately seven thousand categories. In an such expenditure. Whitrow. Pp. 678. (Mansell Information : interesting reflection of historical priori­ The new data prob­ ably are better shown London, 1976.) £28. ties, works on mathematics and the as figures and physical sciences occupy one hundred tables. but the main advances over the THIS massive work brings one stage and twenty-three pages to a mere thirty past eight years arc more in the nature nearer completion a major scholarly for the biological sciences and twenty­ of additional data built on to old, project reviewed in these pages five years nine for the sciences of man. rather than the formulation of new ago ( Nature, 237, 115-116) when the The present volume allows one quickly concepts. initial two volumes were published. The to identify the reliable historical literature One of the most valuable new sec­ Isis Cumulative Bibliography aims to make on subjects ranging from "Adsorption: tions deals with the use of underwater accessible the rich information on "the Chemistry" to "Alchemists: North optics to check the movement of water history of science and its cultural in­ American: Collective Biography", and masses, a valuable tool for the physical fluences" stored in the critical bibliog­ ··university and Advanced Level Teach­ o,:eanographer. As in the 1968 version, raphies routinely published by the official ing: Mathematics : Russia" to "Writing however, the author disappoints the journal of the History of Science Society. and Reviewing: Science" . Like its pre­ biologist reader who is looking for the Volumes I and 2 recovered and reorgan­ decessors, this volume is an indispensable application of underwater optics to ised material under the headings of reference work for all those concerned to such phenomena as primary produc­ " personalities" and "institutions" . This understand science as a human enter­ tion , bioluminescence and animal be­ third volume deals with "subjects". prise. Arnold Thackray haviour. J. R. S. Blaxter "Periods" will occupy a fourth volume. The difficulties inherent in this kind of Arnold Thackray is Chairman of the Depart­ J. H . S . 8/axter is Senior Princ:ipol Scie11tifir: Officer al 1he .'ico11i.1h Marin bibliographical synthesis are commen­ ment History and Socio/of!_\' of Science, e University of Pennsylvania, and · wi11 be a Rio!ugical Association. D1111stafjnage surate with its magnitude. The abbrevia­ Visiting Fe11ow at A11 Souls Co11ege, during Morine Re.11'arch Lahoratory. Ohan. tions for the journals cited run to seventy- 1977-78. A rgyli. © 1977 Nature Publishing Group.