1896. SOME NEW BOOKS. 20 r 



charm of its elegant style and by the crowd of unfamiliar facts skilfully 

 marshalled in the argument. From this pomt of view, we cannoc 

 speak of the book in terms of too high praise ; we only decline to 

 regard it as a serious contribution to science. There is a singular 

 absence of logic in many of the sections, with too much tendency to 

 bolster up a preconceived idea. There are none but the most 

 inadequate references to the questions raised by the Neo-Lamarkians 

 of North America — questions which are much too serious to be dis- 

 regarded in any essay which claims to be " philosophical." Professor 

 Gaudry, indeed, admits evolution, and even allows more than we can 

 perceive ; but the moment he approaches the possible suggestion of a 

 law, he suddenly stops and pleads ignorance. He naively remarks : 

 "... on doit avouer que jusqu'a present on connait tres peu les 

 causes des transformations des etres. Je ne saurais m'en occuper. 

 La tache que j'ai entreprise me parait deja assez difficile." 



The main idea of the essay is, that there has been continual pro- 

 gress and a trend towards perfection in the world of life. The known 

 fossils are described as favouring this idea in every way. Organisms 

 in course of time have multiplied more and more on the surface of the 

 earth. They have become more and more differentiated ; they have 

 increased in actual size. Each successive period has also witnessed 

 an advance in the activity, sensibility, and intelligence of animals. 



Such are the theses, and the various chapters deal with them in 

 the order mentioned. 



The idea that organisms are more numerous now than they were 

 in the earliest times, is rather assumed than proved ; but it is pointed 

 out that their multiplication would be particularly facilitated in early 

 times by the very general prevalence of a strong armour and the less 

 sedentary character of most of the animals. Professor Gaudry also 

 surmises that the sum of new arrivals exceeded that of the extinctions 

 until the Miocene period, since when there seems to have been some 

 diminution. 



The facts concerning the differentiation of organisms form an old 

 story ; but the chapter on the size to which animals attain is of great 

 interest and partly novel. Two pages of theoretical restorations, the 

 one of marine and the other of land animals, illustrate the subject ; 

 and it is clear that the largest of all known animals are the whales of 

 modern times. 



In discussing the progress of activity, Professor Gaudry points 

 out several instances in which the latest form.s of a group exhibit 

 more freedom of locomotion than the earlier forms, and remarks that 

 at the present day there are the whales which are the best swimmers, 

 the birds best adapted for flight, the horses best adapted for running, 

 and man best adapted for walking. 



There is little of importance to be said concerning the evolution 

 of the senses of sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. The 

 interesting chapter on the " progress of intelligence," however, affords 

 ;tn opportunity for repeating the now well-worn theme of the increase 

 in size of the brain among mammals as they are traced through the 

 Tertiary period. There are also some observations on the brain of 

 the lower animals, with a very misleading figure of the brain cavity 

 of the Permian Stegocephalian Actinodon, the diminutive proportions 

 of which are almost certainly due to the flattening of the skull by 

 crushing. 



Finally, Professor Gaudry adverts again to another familiar 

 subject, namely, the application of the results of palaeontology to the 

 determination of the relative age of rocks. He points out that 



