626 NATURAL SCIENCE. oct.. 



Chinese animal, its range extending from Bengal to South China ; and 

 he would not have written such arrant nonsense in regard to its 

 relationship to V. civetta, or as to the very distinct Viverricula malaccensis 

 being merely an Indian variety of this so-called Chinese species. 



Mr. Poland seems, indeed, to be in a state of utter confusion as 

 to what constitutes a species and what a variety, or, indeed, a genus. 

 Thus, when treating, on pp. 170, 171 of the Indian Sloth-bear (M^/?«'S7/s 

 tirsinus), he observes that this " bear would probably interbreed with the 

 Black Bear of America, and if the offspring of these two bears should 

 prove fertile, it would necessitate their being classed as one species." 

 Has the author, we may ask, ever seen these two animals, and does 

 he know that they differ from one another more than any other two 

 bears he could have mentioned, — the difference even extending to a 

 disparity in the number of the teeth ? 



A still more appalling error confronts us on page 304, where the 

 West African Zebra Antelope {Cephalophus doria) is alluded to as the 

 " West African Striped Deer," without any technical name. We had 

 thought that in these days even the proverbial schoolboy knew that 

 there were no deer in Ethiopian Africa. As minor errors, we find the 

 Beaver alluded to on page 247 as the largest existing rodent, while on 

 page 245 the Red Himalayan Marmot {Ardomys caudaUts) is said to be 

 of ;i " deep grey hue," instead of yelloAvish tawny or orange, with a 

 black back and tail. Again, on page 144 we find the Chinese Otter 

 (whatever species that may be) alluded to by the name of Lntra felina 

 (misprinted /^/?5a), which properly designates a South American form. 



In treating of the Kolinsky [Mnstela hihirica), on page 114, Mr. 

 Poland hurls an unjust accusation against English zoologists by 

 observing that this animal " appears not to be mentioned in any work 

 on Natural History in this country, and to be unknown to scientists 

 with the exception of the Russian professors." If the author had 

 turned to the late Dr. Gray's British Museum Catalogue of Carni- 

 vores, &c., published in 1869, he would have found the animal 

 described on page 94 ; while in a recently-published work, entitled 

 " The Study of Mammals," in which the author might possibly find 

 some information that would be worth his attention, this animal is 

 mentioned on page 586. 



We might go further, but enough has been stated to show 

 that, however valuable may be the author's information as to the 

 particular subject of which the Avork treats, yet that his zoology must 

 by no means be taken as gospel. In conclusion, we should like to 

 ask Mr. Poland from what animal the figure given on page 127 as 

 a representation of the Glutton was taken, and also how he acquired 

 the information (p. 230) that the total number of Moles in Britain is 

 between five and six millions. 



R. L. 



Les Mollusques : Introduction a I'etude de leur Organisation, Developpement, 

 Classification, Affinites et principaux Types. By Henri Coupin. For the use 

 of Candidates for the Licentiateship in Natural Science. 8vo. Pp. 261. 

 Paris : Carre, 1892. 



The degree in Natural Science in the French universities would 

 appear, according to our author's preface, to be more difficult of 

 attainment than that in other faculties, and this inequality is to 

 be attributed to the absence of suitable text-books treating of the 

 subjects of examination. It is with the view of filling up one, at all 



I 



