NOTICES OF BOOKS. XV 



at last deservedly on the decline, many even of its continental advocates, 

 now show signs of want of faith in its omnipotence. 



Botanists, we are afraid, will take exception to the excellent chapter 

 on the Protozoa, where we find such forms as Hcematococcus, Pandorina 

 and Volvox included as animals. The Mycetozoa are very aptly placed 

 with Protomyxa, with which genus they show great similarity in their 

 life cycle. We presume that in the arrangement of the sections the 

 authors pursued some definite plan, but, if so, we utterly fail to fathom 

 the reason for the intercalation of the Echinodermata between the 

 Molluscoida and the Annulata, by this means the Trochelminthes and 

 Molluscoida become completeby separated from the Annulata, with which 

 group even our authors consider the Trochelminthes, at least, to be 

 related, as may be seen from the diagram on p. 483. The inclusion of 

 Phoronis amongst the Molluscoida is open to grave doubt ; and we fail 

 to see why doubt should be thrown on the account of the development 

 of the Endoproctous Polyzoa so ably given by Harmer, and the 

 Ectoprocta, whose developmental history is fairly well .known, in- 

 terpreted as if they developed like Phoronis. Of course these forms are 

 particularly difficult to classify in a natural manner, but we do not think 

 that the plan adopted here will commend itself to any who have worked 

 at these groups. The retention of the Echinridcc as an order of the 

 Gephyrea is very antiquated and unnatural, for neither in their develop- 

 ment nor in their adult structure do they show much resemblance to Sipan- 

 culus, and they find a much more natural position with the Chaetopoda. 



It is quite delightful to see such a large number of new illustrations, 

 and as, in many cases, there is a complete description of the anatomy 

 of some hitherto little-known form, now copiously illustrated, these will 

 be of the greatest value even to the most advanced student. Amongst 

 these we would especially draw attention to the description and illus- 

 trations of the anatomy of the Starfish (Anthenea acuta), of Nereis, of 

 Triton nodiferus, and of Nautilus amongst the invertebrata, while 

 among the vertebrata we find excellent accounts of fish which to us are 

 rarities, viz., Callorhynchus and Chiloscyllium. 



Judging from the statements in the preface (p. viii.) we should not 

 have expected our authors to adopt any views which had not stood the 

 test of time, but in dealing with the mammalian dentition we find them 

 adopting the unsupported views of Wilson and Hill, which are at 

 variance with all those of the numerous European workers, many of 

 whom have spent years in the study. 



The wealth of illustrations is wonderful, and these have for the most 

 part been judiciously chosen, but a few are not quite so happy. Fig. 

 453, for instance, is a shocking misrepresentation of a cockroach, and 

 would certainly give the beginner the idea that the wing cases were 

 attached to the pro- instead of to the meso-thorax ; fig. 510 also is mis- 

 leading, and the elementary student who had never seen a Limulus 

 would certainly receive the impression that this animal had a pair of 

 large compound eyes situated close to the middle line. Surely, too, our 

 authors have made a slip of the pen in labelling the figure of a mosquito 

 as Pulcx, or has some industrious systematist been digging in the dust- 



