March 7, 1889] 



NA TURE 



435 



somewhat the same poetic strain, and glances at the leading 

 aspects of mosses in natural scenery. Sect. 3, structure of 

 mosses, gives a clear and succinct outline of the various 

 organs of these plants, and their functions. Sects. 4 and 

 5, collecting and examining mosses, and uses of mosses, 

 are the best in the book, and show the devotion of 

 the writer to the study of this branch of botany. Then 

 follows a synopsis of genera after Schimper's " Syn. Muse. 

 Eur.," and at p. 45 we arrive at the description of species 

 and plates, to which the remainder of the work is 

 devoted. 



The descriptions are all on one uniform plan, very short 

 and under five heads — colour, stems, leaves, capsule, 

 locality. The text is therefore somewhat monotonous 

 and dry, while the essential points characteristic of 

 the species are not always brought out ; e.g. the 

 Bryinas are " Plants cellular, germinating from spores, 

 with stems and leaves ; fruit a capsule," which applies 

 equally well to the Hepaticae. With species this want 

 of definiteness in description is apt to lead altogether 

 astray. In other instances an erroneous term is intro- 

 duced ; thus Trichostomum nitldum is stated to have 

 leaves " hairy at apex," T. litorale leaves " with short 

 hair-points," whereas both have solid conical points, formed 

 by the nerve. 



The cell-structure of the leaves is a most important 

 character, and is requisite both in descriptions and 

 illustrations, but is not treated sufficiently in either. The 

 37 plates represent the plants of the natural size, and are 

 very well coloured, so that the larger species may be 

 readily recognized ; but the leaves are not sufficiently 

 magnified nor their structure sufficiently defined to render 

 them sure guides, for the smaller species are too much 

 alike, and the smallest of all, represented on Plate 5, it 

 would puzzle any bryologist to discriminate. 



Although for these reasons the work is not so helpful 

 to the student as it might be, it forms an elegant table 

 book. The paper is excellent, and the clear symmetric 

 printing could hardly be surpassed. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



Catalogue of the Marsiipialia and Monotremata in the 

 Collection of the British Museum {Natural History). 

 By Oldfield Thomas. (London : Printed by order of 

 the Trustees, i588.) 



This is one of the new series of Zoological Catalogues 

 of the British Museum, which, from their containing 

 descriptions of all the known species of the group cata- 

 logued, form handy and excellent hand-books for the 

 student, and serve for much more than records of the 

 treasures of our British Museum. 



This volume contains the descriptions of 151 species 

 of Marsupials and 3 of Monotremes, in addition to de- 

 scriptions of 12 well-marked varieties of the former and 

 2 of the latter order. Of this large total of 168, only 20 

 are not represented in the British Museum collection. 

 The specimens amount to 1304 in all, of which 173 are 

 preserved in soirits. 



This is a very marked increase above the number in 

 the list published in 1843, in which but 94 species were 

 enumerated. Apart from the number of species repre- 

 sented in the collection, the value of these is greatly 

 increased when they are "type" forms. In such forms, 

 the British Museum is extremely rich, possessing 74, fol- 

 lowed by the Paris Museum with 21, and then, at a long 



distance, by the Museums of Sydney and Leyden, with 8 

 each. In this Catalogue, probably for the first time, a 

 double synopsis of each genus and species is given, in 

 order to enable the student to identify a specimen either 

 from its external characters, or from its skull alone. In 

 order to make these latter synopses useful, explanations 

 of the nomenclature and of the measurements are given. 



The synonymy of the genera and species is worked 

 out in very great detail, and in the case of the Mono- 

 tremes we have in addition references to the literature 

 bearing on the anatomy, embryology, &c., of the forms 

 belonging to the order. 



Although most of the species of Marsupials have been 

 named within the last hundred years, and the greater 

 number of them have names of quite recent date, yet the 

 hasty descriptions of some authors have added much 

 to the list of synonyms. In addition to tlie ordinary 

 synonymy, Mr. Thomas has in most instances given 

 references to the more important papers on the anatomy 

 of the forms. These references make this Catalogue useful 

 to the comparative anatomist as well as to the zoologist. 

 To make such a list perfect would require much space, 

 but, so far as we can judge, all the more important papers 

 have been referred to ; under Phascolarctus cinereus, we 

 would add one on its anatomy by Prof Macalister, in the 

 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1872, vol. x., and one on the 

 occurrence of a premaxilla-frontal suture in the skull, 

 by Prof. Mackintosh (Proc. Roy. Irish Acad., n. s., 

 vol. iii,). 



We hope the day is not far distant when all the 

 mammals in the British Museum collection will be 

 catalogued in an equally accurate and effective manner. 



Report of the Proceedings of the United Statss Expedition 

 to Lady Franklin Bav, Grinnell Land. By Aiolphus 

 W. Greely. Vol. I. (Washington : Government Printing 

 Office, 1888.) 

 Everyone knows, at least in its main outlines, the story 

 of the Polar Expedition commanded by Lieut. GreeK. 

 Three years ago (Nature, vol. xxxiii. p. 481) we reviewed 

 the work in which he presented an interesting popular 

 account of his experiences. The present volume contains 

 the official Report, dated Washington, June 30, 1885. 

 which Lieut. Greely addressed to the Chief Signal Officer 

 of the United States army ; and a singularly fascinating 

 Report it is — all the more fascinating as no attempt is 

 made to set forth the facts in a lively or picturesque style. 

 The writer is so completely occupied with the events 

 he records that he seems to have neither time nor in- 

 clination for any thought about the manner in which they 

 should be presented. As appendices to the Report an 

 immense number of documents relating to the Expedition 

 are printed ; and many of these are of considerable value, 

 not only supporting the statements of the Report, but 

 adding details which give freshness to the central 

 narrative. The volume is enriched by an abundant 

 supply of excellent full-page illustrations, illustrations 

 grouped in plates, illustrations in the text, and maps and 

 charts. 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



[ The Editor does not hold hiinselj responsible for opinions ex- 

 presied by his corns fondinls. Neither can he undertake 

 to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 

 manuscripts in'endedfor this or any other part of NAruuK. 

 No notice is taken cf anonymous communications.^ 



Origin of Coral Islands. 



Mr. Murray's conciie explanation of the formaiion of coral 

 reefs and islands presents advantages in more than one lespect. 

 It demands no a priori assumptions, but begins auJ ends with 

 that which can be observed, while Darwin's thtoryrequires the pre- 

 liminary concession of subsi Jence, which never has beenai.d never 



