271 



NOTICES OF RECENT BOOKS. 



The Protozoa. By Gary N. Calkins, Ph.D. 9 x 6| in., 

 xvi -f 347 pages, 153 figures in the text. London, 1901 : 

 Macmillan & Co. Price 12s. Qd. net. 



It is with genuine pleasure that we call attention to this 

 carefully written and well illustrated book. Prepared by the 

 Instructor in Zoology of the Columbia University, and forming 

 vol. vi. of the now widely known Columbia University Bio- 

 logical Series, it is without doubt one of the most useful 

 general surveys of the unicellular animals that has appeared 

 for a long time. 



In the introductory chapter the author rapidly reviews the 

 early history of the study of the Protozoa, and then passes 

 on to the modern views as to their classification and the 

 ever-recurring question of the boundary between animals and 

 plants. In regard to this latter point it may be of interest 

 to note that the author gives his sanction to the inclusion of 

 Volvox, Gonium, Pandorinciy etc., among the Protozoa. A 

 general sketch of the morphology, including a consideration 

 of the endoplasm, ectoplasm, nucleus, etc., and of the physio- 

 logy and economic aspects of the Protozoa is next given, and 

 this prepares the way for a consideration of each of the four 

 modern divisions of the Protozoa, namely, the Sarcodina, 

 Mastigophora, Sporozoa, and Infusoria. 



Each of these has a chapter to itself and is treated in the 

 same way. Thus, after dealing with the characters peculiar 

 to each group, such as the pseudopodia and shells and tests 

 of the Sarcodina, the flagella of the Mastigophora and so on, 

 attention is given to the nucleus, the- nutrition, reproduction, 

 and inter-relationships of each, together with a condensed 

 statement of the classification. These chapters are all very 

 instructive reading, but special mention may be made of that 

 on the Sporozoa because of the increased importance which 

 has lately been given to these parasitic forms in connection 

 with the malaria organism. 



