26 



NATURE 



[May 



10, I 



I have endeavoured to carry out his wishes, which were 

 mainly three: (i) to enlarge the descriptions of the pre- 

 parations and accounts of the various classes of animals, 

 and to bring them to the standard of contemporary 

 knowledge ; (2) to add to each class or group a brief 

 classification ; and (3) to give as full a bibliography as 

 space would admit." 



The new edition which is now before us has been most 

 carefully revised throughout ; very considerable additions 

 have been made, especially in the systematic portion, 

 which has been entirely re-written by Mr. Jackson ; and 

 the volume is more than double the size of its predecessor 

 — extending to upwards of 900 pages. 



The book, as before, consists of three main sections : 

 the descriptions of the selected preparations ; the descrip- 

 tions of plates illustrating the salient features in the 

 anatomy of certain of these types ; and, thirdly, the 

 systematic accounts of the several groups into which the 

 animal kingdom is divided. The arrangement of these 

 sections has been altered ; for while in the former edition 

 the descriptions of the preparations and plates were 

 placed after the systematic part, the relative positions 

 have in the new edition been reversed. The present 

 arrangement is a more natural one, and the change, which 

 was contemplated by Prof. Rolleston, is certainly an 

 improvement. 



The selected preparations, the description of which 

 forms the first section of the book, are for the most part 

 the same as those of the former edition. The skeleton 

 and certain parts of the muscular system of the rabbit, 

 and the alimentary canal, urinary, and generative organs 

 of the same animal, have been added ; the privet hawk 

 moth has been substituted for the death's head ; and the 

 skeleton of the pigeon and a few invertebrate preparations 

 have been omitted. Though the number of the prepara- 

 tions remains practically the same as before, this portion 

 of the book has been increased by nearly a hundred 

 pages ; the expansion being due mainly to the insertion 

 of much fuller accounts of allied forms, and partly to 

 a large addition in the bibliography. 



It would be an easy matter to take exception to the 

 plan of this part of the book, and to urge that the space 

 devoted to the description of particular specimens, which 

 the majority of readers can never have a chance of seeing, 

 might have been allotted, with far greater advantage to 

 students, to thorough descriptions of the anatomy of typical 

 animals selected as representatives of the several groups. 

 Accounts such as these are much wanted, and the oppor- 

 tunity for providing them was an exceptionally favourable 

 one. The criticism, however, loses all point as directed 

 against this second edition, for Mr. Jackson, regarding 

 his task as a trust, has rightly refrained from interfering 

 with the scheme of arrangement of this, perhaps the 

 most characteristic section of the book. 



He has, however, subjected the whole to very careful 

 revision. The descriptions are admirably clear and con- 

 cise, and the additional paragraphs have given Mr. Jack- 

 son opportunity for introducing references to allied forms 

 which are always important, and in many cases of very 

 high value indeed. 



The second part of the book, containing the plates 

 with their descriptions, is less satisfactory. Of the twelve 

 plates of the first edition ten have been retained without 



change, one has been slightly altered, and one cancelled. 

 Three new plates, which had been prepared and com- 

 pleted under Prof. Rolleston's own direction, have been 

 added, illustrating points in the anatomy of the skate, 

 of the oyster, and of certain Arthropoda respectively. 

 We sincerely wish these plates had been omitted. 

 They form no essential part of the book ; the subjects 

 are not well chosen ; and the drawings themselves are not 

 always correct. The figure of the reproductive organs of 

 the earthworm, for instance, is very misleading ; and the 

 nephridia, as shown in the same figure, are entirely 

 wrong. The new plates show no improvement on the old 

 ones : the figure of the oyster is not of sufficient import- 

 ance to justify its insertion, while the plate supposed to 

 illustrate the anatomy of the skate is one of the very 

 worst we have ever seen. We cannot but feel the highest 

 respect for the conscientious and self-effacing spirit in 

 which Mr. Jackson has carried out a most laborious and 

 delicate task ; but we believe most sincerely that he 

 would have done more honour to the memory of his chief 

 by suppressing most if not all of these plates, which are 

 in every way unworthy of the book and of its authors. 

 From the fact that this part of the book has alone 

 undergone compression, we suspect that Mr. Jackson, 

 who has no responsibility in connection with the plates 

 save that of retaining them, agrees with us as to their 

 merits. 



About a dozen woodcuts have been inserted in the 

 descriptions of the preparations : these are well chosen 

 and will prove useful, though the absence of descriptions 

 in two or three cases is somewhat exasperating. At the 

 present time accurate and original figures illustrating the 

 anatomy of typical animals are so urgently needed that 

 we cannot but regret that the resources of the Clarendon 

 Press were not drawn on more largely in this respect. 



The third and concluding portion of the book contains 

 the systematic descriptions of the groups ; and here the 

 changes are very great indeed. Occupying less than two 

 hundred pages in the former edition, it has now increased 

 to six hundred. This part of the boo'.c is by far the most 

 important, and is exceedingly well done. Short descrip- 

 tions of the larger groups are followed by most accurate 

 and comprehensive accounts of the several classes. The 

 further subdivision of the classes into orders and other 

 minor groups is given in all cases ; and the most recent 

 researches are referred to, without being given undue 

 prominence. 



For this part of the work Mr. Jackson is entirely re- 

 sponsible, and we congratulate him very heartily on the 

 admirable manner in which he has effected it. We have 

 indeed but one complaint to make — namely, that, as in 

 the former edition, the groups are described in descending 

 order, Vertebrates being taken first, and Protozoa last. 

 This is a serious fault, giving the effect of an uncomfort- 

 able drop as we pass from group to group, and, further- 

 more, rendering discussion of the mutual relations of the 

 several groups very difficult, and in many cases futile or 

 impossible. 



Apart from this, we have nothing but praise to offer. 

 Limits of space will not allow that we should deal at length 

 with the several classes, but a few points may be noted. 



The Enteropneusta are left among the "Worms"; 

 their vertebrate affinities are mentioned, though Mr. 



