Bihliograjihical Xotices. 133 



Brilish Museum Guides. 



1. A Guide to the Exhibited Series of Insects. Price Is. 1908. 



2. Guide to the Gallery of Fishes. Price Is. 1908. 



London : Printed by Order of the Trustees of the British Museum. 



As popular text-books of zoology the guide-books sold over the 

 counter of the Natural History Museum probably stand unrivalled, 

 lor they display a wealth of illustration which is truly marvellous, 

 while it is certain that in the matter of concentrated information 

 they hold an almost unique position. 



The Guide to the Exhibited Series of Insects has been written by 

 Mr. C. Waterhouse, and this in itself is a sufficient guarantee of 

 sterling work. 



After a brief introduction on the broad outlines of the structure 

 of insects, the Author proceeds to pass in review all the principal 

 orders and families into which this class is divided, illustrating his 

 remarks by brief sketches of the more remarkable species, their 

 life-history and habits. When we remember that Mr. Waterhouse 

 has had to make this selection out of a possible 155,700 named 

 species, the magnitude of his task becomes dimly realizable. Inci- 

 dentally we may remark that the study collection now housed in 

 the Museum contains about 1,150,000 specimens! 



The Guide to the Fish Gallery has been written by Dr. W. G. 

 Eidewood, and is in every waj- worthy of the great series of which 

 it forms a part. The Author has devoted many years of study to 

 the tishes, and to him, it may be remarked, Sir E. Kay Lankester, 

 the late Director of the Museum, entrusted the rearrangement of 

 the specimens with which this Guide is concerned. During this 

 work Dr. Ridewood effected a marvellous transformation, and in the 

 pages of this little volume he briefly traces, for the benefit of the 

 visitor, all the more striking and interesting facts concerning the 

 specimens so beautifully displayed. But beside this he has contrived 

 to include a most helpful and concise account of the classification of 

 tishes and the more important features in their anatomy, at any 

 rate in so far as this bears ujjou their systematic position. 



Those who have a mind, it may be remarked, to acquaint them- 

 selves with the last word in the classification of fishes may with 

 profit consult the pages of this Guide, for many new features have 

 been introduced into the systematic arrangement of this group 

 during the work of remodelling the Gallery. Many of the orders 

 and most of the subdivisions thereof which appear in this Guide 

 will be found to be new — that is to say, a more or less reshufiling 

 of the orders of other authors has taken place in order, if possible, 

 to express the phylogenetic relationships of the groups concerned 

 one to another. This, of course, will not meet with universal 

 approval, no system of classification ever does ; but it will certainlv 

 stimulate further work, and thus serve a most useful purpose. 



