320 Bihliographical Notices. 



while Dc Blamville advanced this view rather as a pious opinion, 

 Dr. Andrews has brought forward a mass of skilfulh- marshalled 

 facts which leave but little room for doubt on the question. 



"With regard to the question of the descent of the Cetacea, he 

 shows, conclusively, that these most remarkable mammals are 

 derivatives of that primitive group of Carnivora known as the 

 Crcodonts. 



The bird-remains found by Dr. Andrews in the beds (Lower 

 Tertiary) which furnished the materials for this Catalogue were 

 scantj', though in their way important, inasmuch as among them 

 he found remains apparently of a Ratite {Eremopezus) ^hich lived 

 in this district during the Upper Eocene period. But since neither 

 skull, pelvis, nor sternum has so far come to light, there is no 

 evidence to show whether this was really a " Eatite " (Palaeo- 

 gnathine) form ; nor can much that is profitable be said as to whether 

 it was more nearly allied to the Struthiones or ^pyornithes. 



With regard to the Reptilia, little of phylogenetic importance 

 has come to light ; but from a distributional point of view some very 

 significant facts will be found recorded. Thus, giant Land-Tortoises 

 near akin to the recent Mascarene forms were found, as well as 

 remains of pleurodiran species ; and since these last are now con- 

 fined to the Southern Hemisphere this discovery is of very great 

 significance — tending as it does, Dr. Andrews believes, to support 

 the view that during Jurassic times Africa and S. America 

 formed a continuous land- mass. 



But, surely, enough has now been said to show that this 

 " Catalogue " may be said, without exaggeration, to mark an epoch 

 in the history of Vertebrate Zoology. "W. P. Pycbaft. 



Die TieriscJien Gifte. Yon Edwix Stanton Faust, 

 Braunschweig, 1906. Pp. xiv, 24S. 



This is a comprehensive treatise on animal poisons, dealing both 

 with those animals which bite or sting, those the flesh of which is 

 poisonous, and those from which poisonous drugs or arrow-poisons 

 are obtained. The structure of the poison-glands is described and 

 the various symptoms produced by the poisons, and their chemical 

 characters are also discussed. The greater portion of the volume is 

 devoted to Ophidia, Amphibia, Pisces, Arthropoda, Vermes, &c., 

 and certain portions of the subject seem to have been purposely 

 excluded. Thus, Platiqms is the only poisonous mammal included, 

 and we do not notice anything about hydrophobia or glanders, on 

 the one hand, or the carriage of infection by rats &c., on the other. 

 The carriage of infection by mosquitoes and the tsotze-flies is only 

 briefly alluded to, nor are parasitic insects noticed. Within the 

 limits which the author seems to have imposed upon himself, his 

 book will be found very useful to those interested in animal 

 poisons from a medical and chemical point of view. "NV. F. K. 



