Dec. 13, 1888] 



NATURE 



147 



The second part of the book is devoted to our meat 

 supply and dairy produce. The greatest scare among 

 home meat-producers has been occasioned by the increas- 

 ing imports of frozen meat— chiefly mutton. The future 

 of this trade is, however, very dubious, and exportation 

 completely collapsed when prices fell in 1886 and 1887. 

 A New Zealand colonist, writing to the Otago Witness, 

 says: — "The producer, when he sends his meat to 

 London, realizes about \\d., perhaps only 4^., per 

 pound; and when he deducts expenses, say 2i</., he has 

 only about \\d. per pound for the choice of his flock. 

 Now, this will not pay him, and some of our largest 

 exporters of meat have decided that it will not pay them 

 to send home their meat." 



Mr. Bear's views on the future of English farming are, 

 on the whole, hopeful, but he is accused by some of his 

 critics of baing an optimist. He has also brought down 

 the wrath of the Canadian Press upon him for decrying 

 the climate of Manitoba as a wheat-growing area, and dis- 

 counting the reports of its fertility. As published under 

 the auspices of the Cobden Club, the bias of the work is 

 in favour of free trade, if we may except the trade in live 

 stock, where contagious diseases are involved. Some 

 political or economical bias ought to be accepted as 

 inseparable from a book so issued. The reader will no 

 doubt exercise judicious discrimination in accepting all 

 the deductions, but will not fail to see that Mr. Bear's 

 arguments are well supported by facts and official figures. 

 The book is, in fact, a valuable contribution towards the 

 solution of a question of vast importance —the future of 

 our agriculture. 



COLEOPTERA, 



Biologia Centrali - Americana — Zoology : Coleoptera. 

 Vol. I. Part II. By David Sharp, M.B., F.Z.S., &c. 

 (London: R. H. Porter, 1882-87.) 



ALTHOUGH nearlysix years have been required forthe 

 completion of this volume, entomology has received 

 a valuable contribution, which is at the same time an 

 evidence of the untiring industry of its author and of 

 the great liberality and enterprise of its editors. The 

 volume covers about 840 pages, illustrated by nineteen 

 plates, including in its scope nine divisions of the Coleo- 

 ptera, called families, as follows : Haliplidae, Dytiscidae, 

 Gyrinida:, Hydrophilidic, Heteroceridae, Cyathocerida;, 

 Pamida?, Georissidae, and Staphylinidae, in dealing with 

 three of which Dr. Sharp had already shown a rare 

 combination of analytical power and synthetic skill. 



While the arrangement of the families in the order 

 indicated above might be criticized as somewhat un- 

 natural, it is to be presumed that the convenient division 

 of labour among the different authors, and the approxi- 

 mation of the labours of each in one volume, had more 

 to do with the sequence than the desire to indicate 

 affinities. 



The family Haliplidce presents no point worthy of 

 special mention ; there are three new species in a total 

 of six. 



The Dytiscida is represented by 168 species, of which 



about seventy-one are new, nearly all small species, while 

 the thorough analytical study previously given to the 

 family by Dr. Sharp has left but one generic division to 

 be indicated. 



The Gyrinidce, represented by twenty species, of which 

 four are new, presents nothing of note, except the evident 

 tendency of Gyretes to replace Gyrinus in the warmer 

 parts of America. 



The Hydrophilidce contains 141 species, four-fifths of 

 them new, requiring the indication of thirteen new genera. 

 In the study of this family. Dr. Sharp gives evidence of the 

 close attention he has devoted to it from the commence- 

 ment of his career as an author, and he has shown how 

 much new work may be done even in those families 

 moderately well studied. The point seems well taken that 

 the Hydrophilidaj constitute a family, and not a complex 

 equivalent to the Adephaga. While no new arrangement 

 of the family is proposed, the inaccuracy- of our present 

 method is shown, an-d numerous structural differences are 

 indicated, which may form the basis of a better system 

 when more is known of the genera from other regions 

 than Europe and North America. 



The next four families, Heteroceridae, Parnidae, Georis- 

 sida?, and Cyathoceridae are all of small extent, containing 

 between them but fifty species. While these are closely 

 related among themselves, their position in mass between 

 the Hydrophilidce and Staphylinidae is unnatural, and 

 obscures their evident relationship with the Byrrhidae and 

 certain Dascyllidae. 



The greater portion of the volume is occupied with the 

 treatment of the Staphylinidae, in which more than 1400 

 species are enumerated, seven-eighths of them new ; of 

 the remaining eighth a fair proportion had already been 

 described by Dr. Sharp elsewhere. The mere numerical 

 statement will give but an inadequate idea of the labour 

 expended in this part of the volume. Those who have had 

 occasion to deal with the Aleocharinjc will realize the 

 amount of minute examination required, almost ruinous 

 in its effects on the eyesight. It is evident that the- 

 Staphylinide fauna of Mexico is far from being exhausted, 

 and had as enthusiastic collectors as Mr. G. C. Champion 

 collected in other parts as h2 did in his regions, it is safe 

 to believe that the number of species would have been 

 more than doubled. In a notice like the present it seems 

 unnecessary to enter more deeply into details. Although 

 much has been done in Staphylinidae, our knowledge 

 of the fauna of Europe is the only one approximately 

 complete, and it gives a very narrow basis for comparison. 

 As a whole. Dr. Sharp's work will receive the recogni- 

 tion due to careful, conscientious, and erudite labour. It 

 is tb be regretted that the descriptions are at times too 

 brief; and how much difficulty future students may find in 

 following them may be inferred from the experience of 

 Dr. Sharp with the longer and very able descriptions of 

 Erichson. 



The volume concludes with nineteen plates, with about 

 450 figures, which will prove useful in the identification of 

 the species. The omission of details is to be regretted, 

 although their representation would have given Dn 

 Sharp an amount of labour which he could hardly be ex- 

 pected to undertake. 



G. H H. 



