2 34 ^ook Notices. [^'%rU^'' 



There is still a fair amount of wooded country, with open downs 

 and marshy tracts, so that all varieties of life are provided for ; 

 and last, but not least, the geological formations between 

 " Recent " and " Lower Cretaceous " number no less than twenty- 

 eight. With these characteristics the island forms an ideal territory 

 for treatment on Mr. Morey's plan. After an outline of the 

 geology, chapters are devoted to earthquakes and palaeolithic 

 implements. Then the vegetable kingdom is dealt with in the 

 ascending order in seven chapters, commencing with the fungi, 

 next the algae, and so on to the flowering plants and ferns. 

 Thirty chapters, or sections, are necessary for the animal 

 kingdom, commencing with the protozoa and concluding with 

 the mammals. In each section, besides complete lists of 

 species in systematic order, with localities and other particulars, 

 many interesting notes, with plates of the rarer specimens, are 

 included. References to the standard text-books and writers 

 on the subject are given, which are not without value to a 

 student in the Southern Hemisphere. Some idea of the extent 

 of the fauna and flora may be gained from the editor's summary 

 of the species recorded, numbering 6,982. The numbers of 

 a few well-known groups may be quoted : — Fungi, 443 ; marine 

 algae, 216 ; flowering plants and ferns, 1,032 ; mollusca, 140 ; 

 arachnida (spiders), 153 ; hymenoptera, 472 ; coleoptera 

 (beetles), 1,434 ; butterflies and moths, 972 ; fishes, 120 ; 

 birds, 248 ; and mammals, 42. Some account of the meteor- 

 ology of the island is also given, from which it may be gleaned 

 that the average rainfall is 27J inches ; number of wet days, 

 162 ; number of sunless days, 60 ; highest shade temperature, 

 86° ; lowest, 14°. The volume is an excellent example of 

 what might be attempted, if not for Victoria, then for, say, 

 the county of Bourke, and in its accomplishment would set 

 a definite goal before many members of the Field Naturalists' 

 Club, who at present seem to be in want of something to 

 inspire their work. The county of Bourke would not, in some 

 respects, compare with the Isle of Wight, as its area is nearly 

 twelve times greater, and its elevation above sea level differs to 

 a much greater extent, reaching in one or two places to about 

 3,000 feet, while its shore-line is that of a comparatively 

 enclosed bay, though the latter is of considerable size. The 

 book, however, is one that is well worth the attention of all 

 nature-lovers. 



Pebbles. By E. J. Dunn, F.G.S., Director of the Geological 



Survey of Victoria. Melbourne : G. Robertson and Co. 



Ltd. 122 pp. (5i X 8J), with 76 plates, containing 250 



figures. 15s. 



It is not often one comes across a scientific or semi-scientific 



work with so brief a title, and apparently requiring so little 



