2o8 The Irish Naturalist. October, 



mediate) Schools of the country, and that in the Girls' Secondary 

 Schools it has been treated as a polite accomplishment, largely taught 

 and altogether examined theoretically." 



The remaining paper, which deals directly with the subject matter 

 with which the Irish Naturalist is mainly concerned, is that by Mr. 

 Carpenter on " The Animals of Ireland." This paper is remarkable not only 

 for the care with which it summarizes the points— both of similarity 

 with, and of difference between, the faunas of Ireland and of Great 

 Britain — but shows that wide grasp of the changes in local connections, 

 now more than ever necessary to be firmly held by one who wishes his 

 view of the relationship now existing to correspond to, and correlate 

 with, the known facts of earlier geological history. This paper also 

 points clearly out how the south-western " I^usitanian " and the northern 

 " Arctic" forms mix and overlap in the West of Ireland. This, familiar 

 as it is to anyone who has worked either at the fauna or the 

 flora of the West of Ireland, is specially interesting to anyone whose 

 acquaintance and knowledge of these overlapping forms is confined to 

 those existing in Scotland, where, from the difference in latitude, 

 the " Lusitaniau " forms are comparatively few and the "Arctic" forms 

 very numerous, and how in common forms like the Varying Hare 

 (Lepus variabilis) this " Arctic " type is that which is found throughout, 

 and gives its character to the entire country. This paper also points 

 out most clearly and distinctly how in Ireland, and especially on the 

 western coast, and most of all in the sea washing that western coast, the 

 " I/Usitanian " and the " Arctic " type overlap. 



Mr. Carpenter has pointed out the different courses by which these 

 two sets of animals came to the west coasts of Ireland ; the earliest from 

 the south, then that overborne by those across the land connection with 

 Scotland and Scandinavia, and that communication finally cut off before 

 the later flow of animals from the east, Dr. Scharft's " Siberian migration " 

 could reach Ireland. 



There are two points 011 which a more distinct statement of Mr. 

 Carpenter's views would have been more satisfactory than the way in 

 which they have been put forward. First, as to the remains of bear in 

 Ireland, Mr. Carpenter evidently does not look on the modern European 

 Bear {Ursus arctos) as the same species with the " Grizzly Bear" {Ursus 

 horribilis). If so, then the Irish Cave Bear was a species now found not 

 nearer than the " Barren Grounds " of British North America, or possibly 

 than the Rocky Mountains. 



Second, in the refereuce to the former extent of distribution of 

 Helix pisana, there is no reference to the fact that both the Azores and 

 Madeira are " Pelagic " islands, so that even a wide extension of the 

 European coast line would fall very short of them. These are, however, 

 very small points. 



The short summary of the " Economic Zoology " which follows and 

 concludes Mr. Carpenter's valuable treatise is of much interest. Even 

 if the Irish farmer can congratulate himself on the absence of the Voles 



