iQoo] Book Notices. 97 



It would be unfair not to mention a number of other collec- 

 tions which were sent in and exhibited such a degree of excellence 

 as to be worthy of honourable mention in this competition ; they 

 were those of Messrs. j. A. Graham, F. H. Breckenridge and 

 Elmer Bolton ; and those of the Misses L. Mabel Graham, M. 

 VanAlstyne, and M. M. Mackenzie. Also those of Miss Reilly, 

 Messrs Byrnes, M. E. Watson, F. Shannon, J. W. Gibson, C. 

 Ramsay, C. McLennan. F. C. Thompson. 



The thanks of the Committee of Council are due Mr. J. H. 

 Putman, Science Master, for his valuable assistance in the matter of 

 the preliminary examination and arrangement of the collections to 

 be judged. 



At stated above these collections showed plainly that great 

 care had been taken by the students in working up the collec- 

 tions many of which were so nearly equal in excellence that a scale 

 of marks had to be prepared and the individual specimens in the 

 different collections compared before the prizes could be awarded. 



The Committee beg to thank Dr. Ross and to congratulate 

 him on the success of his effort as shown by the very evident 

 interest he has called forth in the study of Botany, as well as 

 the Science Master of the Normal School on the enthusiasm he 

 has instilled into his students. 



BOOK NOTICES. 

 Revision of American Voles of the Genus Microtus. North 



American Fauna, No. 17. By Vernon Bailey. Washington, 



D.C., U.S. 



Mr. Vernon Bailey, Chief Field-Naturalist of the Division of 

 Biological Survey of the United Stales Department of Agriculture, 

 has just published under the above title a complete synopsis of the 

 interesting genus Microtus, which he has prepared under the 

 direction of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, and which work includes the 

 species from British North America as well as those of the United 

 States. 



The American Voles or Meadow Mice burrow in the ground 

 and from their burrows make little smooth trails to their feeding 

 grounds. Their bulky nests of grass and soft plant fibres are 

 found either underground or on the surface of the ground under 



