February i6, 1905 



NA TURE 



369 



ANIMAL LIFE. 



right errors. For instance, the statement on p. 313 

 that Lake Baikal was recently connected with the 

 sea is totally opposed to modern views ; and it is 

 equally untrue that the great Indian rhinoceros 

 '• bites " (p. 373), while the statement (p. 421) that 

 there are no wild oxen in Africa at least requires 

 qualification. On p. 469 we find the usual 

 exaggerated statement of the size of dinosaurs (115 

 instead of 60 or 70 feet!). Among misspelt 

 names it must suffice to mention (p. 430) Padus for 

 Piidiia, and (p. 432) Einieces for Eunectcs (we can 

 guess whence the author copied the latter) ; but it 

 lav be added that Saccomyida is not the proper 



WITH the appearance of this half-volume we have 

 to congratulate the author and his publishers 



(in the completion of a work which must have involved 



an enormous amount of labour, and which, in this 



countrv at any rate, is unique. The great impulse 



which has of late years been given to " nature-teach- 

 ing " rendered a work of this class almost essential 



(for the mode of treatment could not have been 



adopted in a systematic natural history), and Prof. 



Davis has realised the want, and done his best to 



supplv what was required. . , _ 



In spite of certain errors aad Mrmishes, to some ' title for the pocket-gophers, or Euspongia for the 



of which we have directed .-iticiuidn on previous typical sponges. .An expression on p. 375 leads one 



occasions, and bearing in mind ihc magnitude of to believe that the author is unaware of the existence 



of the Devon and Somer- 

 set staghounds ; while 

 (p. 379) the term " hunt- 

 ing," as applied to 

 fishes, seems somewhat 

 misplaced. 



The section on geo- 

 graphical distribution 

 mav perhaps be best 

 described as feeble, the 

 author " wobbling " on 

 the subject of " Wal- 

 lace's line," and being 

 apparently unacquainted 

 either with the works 

 of Max Weber or with 

 a certain text-book pub- 

 lished by the Cambridge 

 University Press. In 

 fairness to his readers 

 the author should have 

 told them that there are 

 distributional divisions 

 of the globe other than 

 those adopted by Dr. 

 Wallace; and also that 

 such divisions are based 

 on the range of mam- 

 mals and birds, and do 

 not accord with that of 

 several other groups. 



The coloured plates 

 render this and its 



'The N.-xlural HUtory of Anil 



the task for a single individual, it may be safely said ] fellow volumes attractive to the general reader, and 

 that, on the whole, the author has been successful in most of the other illustrations (one of which is here 

 his efforts, and that when a second edition is called reproduced) are well chosen and well executed, 

 for, and the necessary emendations and corrections R- L- 



have been mad" ihc work will talf its place as an 

 important popular te.xt-book of bionomics. 



The half-volume now before us includes some of 

 the most interesting sections of the whole subject, 

 discussing as it does the economic aspect of zoology, 

 the natural history of sport, animals as pets, geo- 

 graphical distribution, the palseontological record, 

 and the doctrine of evolution and heredity. Un- 

 fortunatelv, the author has not allowed sufficient 

 space for some of these subjects. Fur-bearing 

 animals are, for instance, very imperfectly described, 

 no mention being made of such important furs as 

 .\rctic and silver fox, otter and nutria; and if only 

 the author had le.'t out the " old wives' tales " about 

 the shrew on pp. 319 and 320 he would have had 

 ample room for propt r treatment. 



Neither is the volume altogether free from down- 



■'Tlie Natural History of Animals ; thi 

 ions Aspects and Relations.'' Hy J R 

 i + 261-555. (London : The G 



Animal Life of the World in its 



A.Davis. Half vol. viii. Pp. 



Publishing Co., 1904.) Price ys. 



[842, 



71] 



THE CONDITION OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES 

 IN FRANCE. 



^"HE results of an int|uiry into the present condi- 

 tion of French chemical industries are described 

 in the Revue scienlifiqiic of January 28. The up- 

 shot of this inquiry is the recommendation that a 

 society should be foijnded for France, having its head- 

 quarters in Paris, with branches in all large towns 

 in France, with a council consisting of the heads of 

 industrial enterprises, the professors in universities 

 and "lycees," of independent persons, and of all 

 interested in industrial chemistry. The duties of this 

 societv should be (i) to suggest and press on the 

 Government solutions of the great economic problems 

 of importance to chemical industry; (2) to collect 

 statistics abroad and to endeavour to gain markets for 

 French products bv aid of the consular service; and 

 to devise means to prevent competition between French 



