1865.] reviews. 71 



families ! We are not disposed to agree with our author in con- 

 sidering the American varieties of Helix pulchella and H. chersina 

 and Zua lubrica as sufficiently distinct from the European types. 



The first paper in the Proceedings is a catalogue of the flow- 

 ering plants of Maine, hy G. L. Goodale. The list appears to have 

 been prepared with great care, is very complete, and is evidently the 

 work of a sound critical botanist. To this succeed catalogues of 

 the mammalia and birds of the State, which we have no doubt will 

 prove 'interesting to the student of Zoology in Canada. Most of the 

 mammals of Maine are also well known to inhabit this colony, but 

 as yet very little critical attention seems to have been paid to the 

 higher animals in Canada. The following Maine species, so far as 

 we know, have not yet been recorded, at any rate as inhabiting 

 Lower Canada, and have probably been overlooked : 



Vespertilio Carollnensis, Geoffroy (common brown rat). Sorex 

 Forsteri, Rich. (Forster's shrew). Sorex Eichardsonit, Bach. (Rich- 

 ardson's shrew). Sorex platyrhinus, Wagner (Eared shrew). 

 Sorex Thompsoni, Baird (Thompson's shrew). Blarina brevi- 

 caudt, Gray (Short-tailed mole shrew). Vulpes Virginianus, Rich. 

 (Grey fox). Putorius Richardsonii, Bonaparte (Little ermine). 

 Putorlus nigrescens, Aud. and Bach. (Little black mink). Hes- 

 peromys leucopus, Wagner (White-footed mouse). Hesperoinys 

 myoides, Baird (Hamster mouse). 



Prof. Hitchcock gives a careful and detailed description of the 

 Devonian and Upper Silurian rocks of part of the State. Three 

 new species of Devonian plants are describ d by Principal Dawson, 

 from the ' plant-bed ' at Perry. The State geologist then gives 

 localities for various interesting fossils, calls attention to a peculiar 

 arrangement of boulders near Bethel, and lastly gives an account 

 of the post-tertiary clays of Maine, and compares the fossils whieh 

 they contain with the lists (published in the Can. Nat.) of the 

 organisms procured from the drift of the St. Lawrence valley. A 

 large proportion of the marine invertebrates are common to the 

 post-pliocene deposits of Maiue and Canada East ; and where dif- 

 ferences exist, it appears to us that they are very similar in char- 

 acter to those which obtain in the existing fauna of the two coasts. 

 Dr. Foggs' " List of the Reptiles and Amphibians found in Maine" 

 has also its special interest to Canadian naturalists. We know but 

 little of the geographical distribution of these creatures in Canada, 

 much less even than of the mammals. Of the eleven species of 

 snakes found in Maine, we have determined eight of the species as 



