358 SOME NEW BOOKS [NOVEMBER 
with the existing Scandinavian animal, is regarded as practically identical with 
the barren-ground reindeer of Arctic America, while the other is considered 
inseparable from the woodland reindeer of North America. The former of 
these, it is said, is found only in the extreme west of Europe, while the latter 
occurs in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia. And on this evidence it is 
argued that the barren-ground reindeer entered Europe by a land connection 
vid Greenland and Iceland ; while the woodland form made its way wd Bering 
Strait. 
At the conclusion of a very long argument he notices (p. 157) that a recent 
writer has denied the identity of the Scandinavian and the barren-ground 
reindeer, and then he proceeds to remark that “the whole subject is by no 
means as well known as could be wished, and a very careful comparative study 
of recent and fossil remains of the reindeer from various parts of the Old and 
New World, is much needed to put our views on a firmer basis.” 
This paragraph, coming after the conclusions definitely drawn as to the 
Greenland and Bering Sea routes, is equivalent to saying that so long as Dr. 
Schartt’s views of the relations of the Old and New World reindeer are followed, 
everything is settled, but if anyone else ventures to take a different view, then 
the whole matter requires investigation (with the object, we presume, of 
re-establishing the Scharffian interpretation). 
As a matter of fact, the Scandinavian reindeer, as all American naturalists 
are agreed, is a perfectly distinct animal from the barren-ground form; the 
only difference of opinion being as to whether they should be regarded as 
species or races. If Dr. Scharff is right in considering that there were two 
types of reindeer in Europe, their distribution may be perfectly well explained 
by assuming that the western or Scandinavian form wandered from Scandi- 
navia by a land connection between that country and Scotland, and so on to 
Treland, at a time when England was detached from Scotland and joined to the 
Continent. On the other hand, the second form might have spread over the 
whole of central and eastern Europe, and thus through Asia to America. There 
are no grounds, however, for deciding whether the Old or the New World is the 
original home of reindeer. 
The author further assumes that the Irish stoat accompanied the so-called 
barren-ground reindeer into Europe by the Greenland route ; while the English 
stoat arrived from Asia. The former can, however, scarcely be regarded as any- 
thing more than a race of the common stoat which has been isolated for a longer 
period than has its English representative. Consequently, although, as in- 
dicated by the plant evidence, there may have been means of communication at 
an earlier date, we fail to see any evidence for a land connection between North 
America and Europe by way of Greenland at the time when reindeer flourished 
in our own country,—that is to say, during, or just previous to the human 
period. Without any intention of rudeness, we may indeed suggest that writers 
should use common sense in matters of this sort ; for the conclusions referred 
to are, in our opinion, sadly wanting in that very useful commodity. 
Many other cases might be criticised, but the above is sufficient to show 
that all the author’s conclusions are not to be taken as gospel. 
In reading the book we have been much irritated by the author’s fondness 
for repetition. For instance, Dr. Bonney is quoted no less than three times in 
support of the view that the boulder-clay may be a marine deposit ; on pages 
83 and 229 the very same passage is quoted at length twice over, while on page 
180 it is paraphrased. As another example, we are thrice told (pp. 79, 185, 
239) that Arctic and Alpine plants have to be protected in winter on the low- 
lands of Britain and the Continent. Moreover, in several places, there is, in our 
judgment, a want of clearness of expression in more than one passage. And 
there are not wanting instances of carelessness, as for instance, barbarus in leu 
of barbatus on page 46. Then, again, we have always been under the impression 
that the genus Agama is the type of a family, and that it has no claim to 
