314 



NATURE 



[August 3, 1893 



the batrachians of the Mascarene Islands are distin" 

 guished by the absence of many characteristic African 

 families, and the presence of peculiar types, in so far 

 conforming to the distinguishing features of the verte- 

 brate fauna in general ; whilst a few reptiles and 

 batrachians exhibit remarkable relations to Indian genera 

 on the one hand, and to South American on the other. 

 The ophidians of Madagascar alone, including the 

 Colubrine snakes, have been believed to belong almost 

 wholly to South American genera. Mr.Boulenger,however, 

 has ascertained that the Madagascar Colubrine species 

 possess haemal processes (hypapophyses) to the vertebra, 

 and are consequently generically distinct from their 

 neotropical analogues, whilst some of the Madagascar 

 Boidee, belonging to what is very probably a family of 

 more ancient origin than the Colubridas, are of South 

 American genera. Thus the Madagascar snakes agree 

 with the lizards, tortoises, and frogs in their foreign 

 relatio nships. 



Nor has the thoroughness of the scientific work pre- 

 vented due attention being paid to the details that are 

 important as aids in the identification of species. The 

 number of ventral and subcaudal shields is given for 

 every specimen in the collection. Now as the ventral 

 scutes alone are usually about 150 to 250 in different 

 kinds of snakes, the mechanical work of counting them 

 in nearly 3000 individuals (a few snakes have no ventral 

 shields) catalogued in the volume before us may easily be 

 conceived. 



At a time when systematic zoology is not greatly 

 studied by many biologists, and is even, it may be feared, 

 despised by some of them, it is some satisfaction to point 

 to the monographs that are issued from the British 

 Museum as evidence of the work that is being done with 

 the unrivalled collections there available for study. There 

 is scarcely any branch of biological research in which 

 the systematic relations to each other of different 

 organised^beings is not of importance, and if systematic 

 biology does not represent the knowledge of the day, all 

 biological studies dre likely to suffer. It may fairly be 

 doubted whether any branch of biological work demands 

 greater scientific capacity, higher powers of generalisa- 

 tion or harder work than that of which Mr. Boulenger 

 has afforded a good example in his Catalogue of 

 Snakes. W. T. Blanford. 



AN ALPINE GUIDE. 

 A Handbook Jor Travellers in Switzerland. Eighteenth 

 edition. (London : John Murray, 1892.) 



IN the early days of mountaineering, when the Alpine 

 climber wished to scoff at guide-books, he referred 

 sarcastically to Murray's Handbook to Switzerland. It 

 was so emphatically a vade tnecum for middle-aged pros- 

 perity, and was more successful in limiting its informa- 

 tion than in restricting its words. But times and 

 editors have changed. The book for several years 

 past has been up to the high standard attained by 

 the other members of the series ; and the edition of 

 1891, of which the present issue is a revision, even im- 

 proves upon its predecessors. In the initials " W. A. B. C," 

 appended to the preface, it would be affectation not to 

 recognise the name of one who unites a knowledge of 

 NO. 1240, VOL. 48] 



the Alps, unique, perhaps, in its completeness, to an 

 infinite capacity for taking pains. 



We are told, and the book fully justifies the statement, 

 that in preparing this edition, " every line of the text 

 has been very carefully revised and corrected, the his- 

 torical information having been considerably increased ; 

 the notices of the towns have been practically rewritten, 

 particular attention having been devoted to their archi- 

 tectural monuments." The historical notices, indeed, 

 are admirable models of terseness and clearness. That 

 this is so, and that the information concerning the 

 mountain districts has been brought quite up to date, 

 while many places at present little known have been 

 introduced to the notice of English travellers, is only 

 what was to be anticipated in a book edited by Mr. 

 Coolidge. 



Six new maps of districts much frequented by English 

 travellers form a special feature of this revised edition. 

 One, of Zermatt, is on a scale of i : 50,000, while those of 

 the environs of Lucerne, of Grindelwald, of the Upper 

 Engadine, the Saasthal, and the district round Evolena, 

 Arolla, and Zinal, are on half that scale. They are con- 

 toured at distances of 200 metres ; the mountains are 

 tinted brown, darkened as the height rises ; the snows 

 and glaciers are a pale blue. The maps themselves are 

 excellent, but the tints do not produce a very satisfactory 

 stereographic effect ; indeed, we think that actually they 

 have a contrary tendency. It may be that as the higher 

 ground bears the darkened colour, and the snow region 

 is almost white, the contrast is too violent. Be the cause 

 what it may, the result is not quite a success. Still, not- 

 withstanding this, the maps will be a boon to travellers. 

 The introductory matter in this handbook is excellert, 

 and we have observed only one omission. Avalanches, 

 glaciers, structural geography are duly noticed, even 

 natural history is not wholly forgotten, but geology is 

 excluded. But in the course of two or three pages 

 a general outline of the structure and geology of the Alps 

 might have been given, and the attention of travellers 

 called to the significance of the wonderful sections which 

 are so often exhibited in Alpine regions. 



We have dipped here and there into the two volumes, 

 which include not only Switzerland, but also the Alps of 

 Savoy and Piedmont, the Italian Lakes, and part of the 

 Dauphind, reading the accounts of the districts with 

 which we are personally more familiar. Needless to say 

 that we find them clear, accurate, and terse, yet full of 

 information. The book, good before, is even better now, 

 and cannot fail to be most useful to the British tourist. 



T. G. B. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



A Handbook on the Steam Engine. By Herman Haeder, 

 Civil Engineer. English Edition. Translated, with 

 considerable additions and alterations, by H. H. F. 

 Fowles. Assoc. M.Inst.C.E. (London: Crosby Lock- 

 wood and Sons, 1893.) 

 This is an excellent book, and should be in the hands 

 of all who are interested in the construction and design 

 of medium-sized stationary engines. 



It is a real pleasure to find so much information 

 gathered together, particularly when it is from the 

 practical side of the subject. The number of text-books 



