May 24, 1900] 



NA TURE 



75 



that yeast has little, if any, influence on the bouquet of 

 wine. The true character of a wine, he maintains, is due 

 to numerous factors, among which the variety of grape 

 and the character of the soil and climate preponderate ; 

 if the yeast does produce any flavour, it is indistinguish- 

 able among these. 



If, however, the author passes adverse judgment on 

 selected yeasts regarding their power of conferring flavour? 

 he does not do so with regard to their use for setting up 

 a rapid and healthy fermentation in wine must. For 

 this purpose he advocates their use warmly, but insists 

 on the employment of a selected indigenous yeast as 

 more calculated to be in harmony with the environment 

 than if it was derived from a foreign source. 



The valuable results which have accrued from Emil C. 

 Hansen's remarkable studies on yeast have already led 

 to so many successful results in technical practice, that 

 we still feel inclined to suspend judgment regarding the 

 non-eflficiency of wine yeast in the matter of flavour until 

 M. Dugast's interesting observations are confirmed in 

 other quarters. 



In conclusion, we call special attention to this book 

 as likely to be useful to our Colonial wine-growers of 

 Australia and the Cape ; the climate of these countries 

 is somewhat similar to that of Algeria, and no doubt 

 some of the special difficulties discussed in this book are 

 also met with in these countries. A. J. B. 



THE FAUNA OF THE SHETLANDS. 

 A Vertebrate Fawia of the Shetland Islands. By A. H. 

 Evans and T. E. Buckley. Pp. xxix -f 248. (Edin- 

 burgh : D. Douglas, 1899.) 



A LTHOUGH it would be too high a meed of praise 

 •* *■ to say that the authors have done for the Shet- 

 lands what Gilbert White did for Selborne (the systematic 

 treatment of the fauna not being favourable to colloquial 

 writing), there is no doubt that they have succeeded in 

 producing a very interesting volume, and one which 

 should be indispensable to every visitor to the most 

 northern group of the British Islands, whether or no he 

 be specially interested in birds. For in place of restrict- 

 ing themselves to a detailed account of the various 

 members of their vertebrate fauna, Messrs. Evans and 

 Buckley have furnished a very interesting description of 

 the more striking physical features of these islands, 

 together with numerous notes on the people and their 

 mode of life. But perhaps the most generally attractive 

 feature of the work will be the exquisite views of Shet- 

 land scenery with which it is adorned ; these illustrations 

 reflecting the highest credit alike on the photographer 

 and on the artist responsible for their reproduction in the 

 present form. In introducing these scenic pictures, in 

 place of figures of the birds recorded as members of the 

 fauna, the authors have undoubtedly exercised a wise 

 discretion. In only one instance have they made a 

 natural history object the chief feature of an illustration ; 

 the one exception being the beautiful plate of the nest 

 and young of the great skua — a bird of all-absorbing 

 interest to the naturalist in the Shetlands. 



And here it is proper to mention that the volume 

 before us forms a part of the vertebrate fauna of Scot- 

 land, of which several volumes by Messrs. Harvie-Brown 

 NO. 1595, VOL. 62] 



and Buckley have already appeared. It seems that 

 Mr. Evans, who has an extensive personal acquaintance 

 with the Shetlands, had an idea of writing an indepen- 

 dent work on its animals. The securing his services as 

 a contributor to the larger undertaking will commend 

 itself to all. 



After devoting fifty-four pages to a well-written descrip- 

 tion of the physical features of the country, the authors 

 proceed to their proper subject — the detailed account of the 

 vertebrates, which includes both the terrestrial and the 

 marine forms. In the classification of the birds they 

 follow in the main the scheme of Mr. H. Saunders, and 

 though they suggest that some amendments might per- 

 haps have been made had it not been for the sake of 

 uniformity with the " Fauna of Orkney," yet we are glad 

 to know from his volume in the Cambridge " Natural 

 History" that Mr. Evans, at least, is no friend to the 

 plan of unnecessarily multiplying the genera of British 

 birds, nor to the " Scomber scomber''^ principle. 



In the classification of mammals, especially when we 

 note the statement that Mr. Eagle Clarke has carefully 

 revised the proofs, it is somewhat surprising to find the 

 narwhal included among the Physeteridae. Neither do 

 we see the necessity of regarding the rorquals as the 

 representatives of a family by themselves. But, alto- 

 gether apart from such trivial details, we must take 

 exception to the practice of including introduced species 

 among mammalian faunas. In the present instance the 

 authors note five species of rodents as belonging to 

 the Shetland fauna, whereas only one of these — Mus syl- 

 vaticus —\s really indigenous. The trouble such methods 

 cause to those who have occasion to write on the geo- 

 graphical distribution of animals is best known to them- 

 selves. If introduced forms are mentioned at all, their 

 foreign origin ought to be indicated in such a manner 

 that it will catch the eye of the reader at the first glance. 

 In the case of birds, such as the ruff, which but rarely 

 visit the islands, some conspicuous notification of the 

 fact would likewise be advantageous, although we are 

 ready to acknowledge that the line between regular 

 visitors and accidental stragglers is very hard to draw. 



The above mention oi Mus sylvattcus—ih& long-tailed 

 field-mouse — reminds us that one of the most important 

 objects of histories of island faunas is to point out 

 whether the indigenous animals are in any way distinguish- 

 able from those inhabiting the nearest mainland. In the 

 case of birds of strong flight such differences are not 

 likely to occur, but they should be looked for in birds 

 that never leave their island home, and in the indigenous 

 mammals. On the special characters of the Shetland 

 field-mouse the authors are silent, which in view of Mr. 

 Barrett-Hamilton's recent recognition of a peculiar repre- 

 sentative of this type in St. Kilda is distinctly to be 

 regretted. In the case of the common wren, which has 

 likewise a peculiar local race in St. Kilda, the authors 

 state that the Shetland form differs to a certain extent 

 from the one found on the Scottish mainland, although not, 

 in their opinion, sufficiently so as to be entitled to be re- 

 garded as representing a distinct race. If this be so, 

 and the field-mouse be indistinguishable from the main- 

 land form, it suggests that the Shetlands have been 

 separated from the mainland at a later date than have 

 the Hebrides ;— but this is just one of the cases where 



