130 The Irish Naturalist July, 



evidence on this point seems well worthy of attention. 

 Another point of interest is that the gizzards of the birds 

 taken at the lantern were quite empty, while those of the 

 birds secured on the rock in the daytime contained, in 

 varying amounts, some insect remains, pointing to the 

 fact that the birds managed to procure something to eat 

 as they perambulated on the rock from daybreak until 

 they were collected. 



The University, Sheffield. 



REVIEWS. 



THE BOVINE FAMILY. 



The Ox and its Kindred. By R. Lydekker. Pp. 271 (with 55 Illustra- 

 tions). London ; Methuen & Co., 19 12. Price 6s. 



That this work should appeal especially to the cattle breeder, as the 

 author imagines, is extremely doubtful. By a careful and conscientious 

 perusal the breeder may possibly obtain some scraps of information 

 which might indirectly be of some benefit to him, but the book is written 

 by a zoologist for his fellow workers. Much of it would be quite incom- 

 prehensible to the practical breeder, and the few hints contained in the 

 book are difficult to find owing to the lack of a good index. 



Mr. Lydekker deals first with the names of the Ox and its ancestors. 

 He then discusses the structure and zoological position of the Ox. The 

 British domesticated cattle are next described. The author has in this 

 section of the book collected a good deal of scattered information on the 

 subject from previous writers. In the chapter on modern continental 

 cattle and the ancient breeds of the Mediterranean countries, Mr. 

 Lydekker touches on a field of enquiry which should be of interest to the 

 Irish archaeologist, namely the origin of the breed of cattle whose remains 

 have been discovered in the Swiss lake-dwellings. The first to investigate 

 this problem was Professor Rutimeyer, and it has recently been studied 

 in the light of more modern researches by Professor Keller and Dr. Duerst. 

 The conclusions of these studies are that the breed which lived in Switzer- 

 land at the time when the ancient lake -dwellings were constructed, is 

 nearly related to the Indian Zebu, and also to the short -horned humped 

 cattle of ancient Egypt. 



Now the point of interest as far as the Irish archaeologist is concerned 

 lies in the fact that the cattle as well as the horses of the ancient Irish 

 were closely akin to those found in the Swiss lake -dwellings. We thus 

 seem to be able to trace a migration of certain types cf domestic animals 

 of an originally Asiatic stock from the Mediterranean countries, along 

 western Europe ; and this migration must have been accompanied, of 

 course, by a corresponding advance of early human settlers. 



R. F. S. 



