The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-11 00:00:00

TIIE MANX CAT.

"The Zoology of the Isle of Man hardly, if at all, differs
from that of the surrounding countries. The animal which
most attracts the attention of visitors is the Manx cat, the
Stubbin or Rumpy, a tailless variety of the common cat,
Felis Cetus. Tradition asserts that the species was intro-
duced at the time of the destruction of the Spanish Armada.
According to Train, the Manx rumpy resembles somewhat
in appearance the cats said by Sir Stamford Relies to be
peculiar to the Malayan Archipelago. They are best seen
in a wild siate,when the caudal vertebrm are entirely want.
ing, but by admixture with the common cat they are found
with tails of all lengths. Tailless poultry are also common
on the isle, but not peculiar to it, as they occur throughout
the Hebrides."

The superstitions which are still believed in by the
primitive inhabitants are all considered, and some
foolish examples of the extent to which people will
go when under such influence are furnished. The
volume is illustrated with a well defined and clearly
printed map of the island, with the distances of
certain points from various English and Irish
ports.

The East Coast of England, from the T hames to
the Tweed. By E. C. Walcott, M.A. Edward
Stanford.

The guide-books of olden times hate had their
day. In the present go-ahead age a meagre direc-
tion as to route, and the situation of hotels, is not
enough for the insatiable thirst for knowledge and
information which affects the present race of mor-
tals. Mr. Walcott entered upon a rather lengthy
task when he commenced writing a history of the
east coast of England with all its old associations ;
(for this coast bore the brunt of the Saxon and
Danish invasions, together) with a directory of
the seaboard counties extending between the
Thames and the Tweed. He has, however, suc-
ceeded in a very satisfactory manner ; he has
divided his work into three divisions, to each of
which a map is appended. The first comprises the
counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk ; the second
those of York and Lincoln, anC, the last Durham
and Northumberland. The different routes avail-
able for the traveller to any town or place from any
particular locality are carefully arranged, the dis-
tances from London and the cost of transmission
are also provided, and to those who are desirous 9f
visiting any part of the eastern coast of Great Bri-
tain, Mr. Walcott's book will be of great service.

Ourselves, Our Food, and Our Physic. By B.
Ridge, M.D., F.R.C.S., &c., author of "Health
and Disease ; their Laws, &c. Chapman and
Hall.
The study of the laws of natsurae, iknnowisa obedience,e to
of
which it is alike our duty and our interest to live
has lately been recognised as a subject
,
general importance; and a
some of the chief can.es of disease and
of
and the
principles of physiology becomes more generally
diffused we may hope for beneficial results. The
work before us is written in a
plain and simple
style, and is arranged with simplicity and clear-
ness. It is the work of a professional writer of
practical experience, who ha
style of all unnecessary has striven to divest his
cality. Many of hmysticism or teehni-
eccentric, and not to be 0 be altogether theories are Ter v
—fQr instance
- / he Ptronsly ra.: liusteil
- - -- .—ijects to the

application of hot poultices to an inflamed part. In
the hands of a reader of sense and judgment, who
will exercise his own discretion and not accept
every dogma without reflection, the book will pro-
bably be of value, conveying much information
concerning the structure of our bodies and the
nature of diseases, than the general reader is net
likely to possess.