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NOTICES OF RECENT BOOKS. 



Das Leben der Binnengevvasser. By Professor Dr. K. Lampert. 

 Pages xvi and 591 ; 8 coloured lithographic and 4 collotype 

 plates ; 223 figures in the text. Leipzic : C. H. Tauchnitz, 

 1899. Price 18 marks. 



This work on " Pond-life " in its widest sense, — that is as 

 practically synonymous with fresh-water biology — is probably the 

 most important general review of the subject that has yet been 

 published. Naturally it resembles in some respects the excellent 

 "Thier- und Pflanzenwelt des Siisswassers," which was issued, 

 with the assistance of a number of specialists, by Dr. 0. Zacharias, 

 the Director of the Plon Fresh-water Biological Station, nearly 

 ten years ago. But it contains a large number of facts which 

 have been brought to light since that time, and the treatment of 

 the different divisions of the subject-matter is more uniform than 

 was the case in the " Thier- und Pflanzenwelt des Siisswassers." 



The book is divided into two principal parts, which deal with 

 fresh-water animals and plants viewed respectively from the 

 systematic and the biological standpoints. Preceding these, how- 

 ever, there is a very good historical survey of the progress of 

 fresh-water biology from the days of Leeuwenhoek to the present 

 time. Especially interesting reading is the account of how, after 

 a period of stagnation, owing to the gravitation for a time of 

 nearly all biological investigation towards the sea, the systematic 

 study of the life of inland waters has, within the last ten years, 

 again commenced to take its proper place in the estimation of 

 naturalists in nearly all countries — except our own. 



The systematic portion of the book, which occupies more than 

 420 pages, appears to be exceedingly well done. Of course it is 

 not to be expected that in a single volume every group can be 

 treated with monographic fulness. But the amount of informa- 

 tion which has been packed into this section is nevertheless quite 



