1 86 The Irish Nakiralist. October, 



Scops Owl in Donegal. 



On 24th July last I received a small owl from Ballyliffen, N. Donegal. 

 It was in bad condition and the head was quite unrecognisable. From 

 the markings I thought it was a Little Owl but on sending a wing to Mr. 

 A. R. Nichols he idcntihed it as a Scops Owl (Scops gin, Scopoli). This 

 is, I believe, the first record of the species for Donegal. 



D. C. Campbell. 



Londonderry. 



REVIEWS. 



A GUIDE TO THE CRUSTACEA. 



The Life of Crustacea. By W. T. C.\lman, D.Sc. Pp. xvi. -f 289. 

 With 32 plates and 85 figures. London : Methuen and Co. 

 Price 6s. 



Dr. Caiman's admirable systematic work on the Crustacea is known 

 to all zoologists, and the volume on the class which he contributed to 

 Lankester's " Treatise of Zoology " was some time ago reviewed in our 

 pages (vol. xviii., p. 133). The present handy book is more popular in style 

 than that volume, but it is none the less scientific in treatment and contains 

 much that is valuable to the earnest student, while it whets the zeal of 

 the beginner in " Nature-study." Most of the chapters deal with the 

 crabs and their allies in relation to their surroundings, and such titles 

 as " Crustacea of the Deep Sea," " Crustacea as Parasites and Messmates," 

 or " Crustacea in Relation to Man," indicate that Dr. Caiman treats his 

 subject from the bionomic standpoint which is, to a large extent, ignored 

 in Lankester's great " Treatise." Yet our author realises that some 

 morphological foundation is necessary for the profitable study of life- 

 relations, and begins the book with chapters on " The Lobster as a Type 

 of Crustacea," " The Classification of Crustacea," and "The Metamorphoses 

 of Crustacea." In the chapter on classification. Dr. Caiman enforces 

 his now well-known scheme in which the old order Schizopoda is divided, 

 the Euphausiacea being regarded as more nearly akin to the Decapoda 

 than to Mysis and its allies. 



The bionomic chapters, which make up most of the book, deal with 

 the life of Crustacea in a manner at once suggestive and inspiring. Dr. 

 Caiman's extensive knowledge of structure renders his accounts of habit 

 all the more valuable. He gives a concluding chapter on " Crustacea 

 of the Past," in which it is gratifying to read that the lately described 

 Oxyuropoda from the Kilkenny Devonian " has every appearance of 

 being an Isopod." The beautifully reproduced photographs and the 

 excellent line drawings by Miss G. M. Woodward deserve more than a 



passing word of praise. 



G. H. C. 



