6^6 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



and concisely. All technical terms have been carefully defined and the 

 various procedures followed lucidly explained. ';t It will hardly be possible 

 in the future to wonder, when the author used a certain term, whether he 

 meant one thing or something different ; the matter can be decided by reference 

 to the introduction, and thus one of the pitfalls of systematic work has been 

 avoided from the outset. 



With this introductory part are also included a full bibliography, a detailed 

 note on the place and stratigraphic horizon from which all the specimens 

 have come, a series of lists of the zonal distribution of the species as accurately 

 as they can be determined, and a list of all the genera, with a reference to the 

 description of their genotypes. 



The author is to be congratulated upon producing such a valuable volume, 

 noteworthy, not only for the facts it contains, but also for the distinct advance 

 that it makes in our knowledge of the systematic relations of the members of 

 this group. It will no doubt stand for long as a classic, and deservedly so, 

 since it represents a great deal of original research and embodies many 

 features that could be adopted with advantage by all workers in systematic 

 biology. C. H. O'D. 



Report No. 1 for the Year 1920 : Fisheries and Marine Biological Survey. 



By J. D. F. Gilchrist, M.A., D.Sc. [Pp. v + iii, with 9 plates and 2 

 charts. Cape Town, South Africa, 192 1). 



Under the joint auspices of the Provinces of the Cape and Natal and repre- 

 sentatives of the fishing industry, it was found possible to appoint a Fisheries 

 Survey Committee to conduct an investigation into the fishing possibilities 

 of the coastal waters of the Union of South Africa. A vessel, Survey 

 Ship Pickle, formerly a whaler, was acquired and adapted as far as 

 possible for the purpose. During the period May-December explorations 

 were carried out from both Cape Town and Durban, and they resulted in a 

 considerable addition to the previous information on the habitat of certain 

 fishes of more or less economic importance. The committee were fortunate 

 in being able to secure the services of Professor Gilchrist as director of this 

 survey work, for he combines wide training with an extensive knowledge of 

 the South African Marine Fauna. The present report gives a fairly detailed 

 account of the results of the year's work, and must be gratifying to the com- 

 mittee. From the tone of some of the remarks, it would appear that the 

 establishment of the Survey is not upon a permanent basis. We sincerely 

 hope that the funds and government support necessary for its continuance 

 will be forthcoming, for it is obvious that not only will the results be of value 

 to science in general, but they will be particularly valuable to the industries 

 in South Africa. We should like to congratulate Professor Gilchrist on the 

 good start he has made, and wish the enterprise every success. 



C. H. O'D. 



Across Mongolian Plains: A Naturalist's Account of China's Great North- 

 west. By R. C. Andrews. [Pp. xxiv + 276, with a map and 39 illus- 

 trations by YvETTE BoRUP Andrews. (D, Appleton & Co., New 

 York and London, 1912, Price $5.00 net.) 

 As will be remembered, the American Museum of Natural History in 1916-17 

 sent an expedition along the frontiers of Tibet, Burma, and Yun-nan in China, 

 and this added considerably to our knowledge of the animal life of this not 

 readily accessible region of Asia. This policy of the exploration of unknown 

 Asia was continued in 1918, when Mr. and Mrs. Andrews went farther north 

 into Mongolia. The present volume is an eminently readable and well- 

 illustrated account of their year's trip. 



It seems almost a sacrilege to take anything so prosaic as a motor-car 

 across these vast plains that once re-echoed to the thunders of the horsemen 



