n8 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



In view of the comparative scarcity of these Uiptera, it is 

 interesting to note that, with the exception of S. flavipes and 

 H. crassicorniS) they all occurred on quite a small piece of rough 

 ground lying just outside the town. — A. E. J. Carter, Blairgowrie. 



Marionina sphagnetorum (Vejd.), from St Kilda.— In 



some ground moss, collected by Mr Eagle Clarke at St Kilda last 

 September, I found an example of this small Oligochaete, an 

 addition to the recorded fauna of the island. Lumbricus rabeliiis 

 also occurred in the moss, but this earthworm has already been 

 recorded from St Kilda {Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1906, p. 84). — 

 William Evans. 



BOOK NOTICES. 



Distribution and Origin of Life in America, by Robert 

 Francis ScharrT, Ph.D., B.Sc, pp. xvi + 497, 21 Maps. 

 London: Constable & Co., 1911. Price 10s. 6d. net. 



This volume is an important contribution to the science of 

 Zoogeography. It is founded upon the " Swiney Lectures on 

 Geology" delivered by the author in 1908, but in issuing them in 

 book form, Dr Scharff has taken the opportunity to rewrite and 

 considerably extend his studies. The very full bibliography given 

 at the end of the book proves the author to be thoroughly 

 acquainted with the literature of this fascinating subject, and the 

 views propounded, though far from orthodox, bear evidence of 

 extensive reading and much careful thought. One of the main 

 points insisted on in the series of fifteen chapters, each of which 

 treats of a distinct portion of the New World, is the former 

 existence of land connections between America and Europe, by 

 way of the present Atlantic Ocean. One of these joined Scotland 

 and Labrador by way of Greenland and Iceland, while another 

 connected the Mediterranean Region directly with the West Indies. 

 A great variety of evidence is brought forward in support of the 

 author's contentions, and it is interesting to note his argument that 

 the importance of " accidental " dispersal has been much overrated 

 in the past. The conditions which led to and prevailed in the so- 

 called "Ice Age" or "Glacial Epoch" are also discussed in an 

 interesting and convincing manner. The volume is worthy of 

 careful study by all who are interested in the problems with which 

 it deals, while its exceedingly moderate price, clearly printed text, 



