402 



NA TURE 



[August 22, 190-1 



systematic position given to the Apoda or Civcilians 

 (which name should not have been speh Cfficilians). 



In the division of the Anuia or Ecaudata an attempt 

 is made at i educing the number of famihes, but it is 



difiicult to see what is to be gained by this reduction in 

 a manner for which the author himself pleads guilty of 

 inconsistency ; a reproach which would apply likewise 

 to some changes in the classification of the Lacertilia. 



In accordance with what I believe to be the duty of a 

 reviewer, however more disposed 

 he may feel to praise than to criti- 

 cise, a certain prominence should 

 be given to the pointing out of 

 small errors, such as necessarily 

 creep in all books of some extent, 

 in order to prevent their propaga- 

 tion, especially in the case of a 

 work which is certain to enjoy a 

 wide circulation. I have, therefore, 

 here noted a few which I have 

 <:ome across. 



P. II. The number of caudal 

 vertebrre varies much in our species 

 •of new^s. It might mislead the 

 student in search of additional 

 ■characters by which to distinguish * 



Triton pal Hiatus ixoxa T. taeniattis 

 to read that the latter has about a 

 dozen vertebr;e more than the 

 former. 



P. 30. Pclobates cannot be de- 

 scribed as a " very aquatic" genus. 

 On the same page, Amphodus 

 should have been mentioned as 

 the best example of a frog with 

 toothed parasphenoid. 



P. 45. There is no difference in 

 the nature of the external gills of 

 Protopterus and Lcpidosircii. p„ 



P. 95. On the map showing the 

 distribution of the Urodela, the range of these Batrachians 

 should be extended to Ireland, Southern Norway, Syria, 

 Northern Persia and Peru The habitat of P'lethodon 

 plateiisis, mentioned on p. 94, is not«marked on the map. 



NO. 1660, VOL. 64] 



P. 153. The tympanum is often very distinct in Disco- 

 glossus. 



p. 161. The map does not show the eastern extension 

 in Europe and to .South-western Asia of the Pelobatidae, 

 nor is it correct as to the distribution of 

 the Pelolhitidae and Discoglossidae in 

 Eastern Asia and North America (cf. pp. 

 153, 162, 164, 165). 



P. 167. The common toad occurs in 

 Norway as far as 65 lat., as correctly 

 stated on p. 177 ; but this is not shown 

 on the map. 



P. 189. The pupil is horizontal in 

 Diaglena (as the name implies) and 

 Pternohyla. 



P. 198. The curious Hyla goeldii is 

 from the Serra dos Orgaos, not from 

 Par^. 



P. 288. " Deeply amphiccelous verte- 

 brre" is not true of all "Prosauria" (cf 

 Hyperodapedon and Satiranodon, the 

 latter with proccelous vertebrLc). 



P. 332 (map). Testudinidie, Cinostern- 

 id;r; and Chelydrid;c occur in Ecuador. 



P. 499. The shell of the egg of Luccrta 

 -,'iridis and L. agilis is not hard like 

 Geckos', but parchment-like, as described 

 on p. 555, whilst that of L. vii'ipara is a 

 mere membrane. 



P 500. The Scincidie are represented 

 by several species in New Zealand. 



P. 501. Chameleons exist on the Sey- 

 chelles {Chatnaeleon sechellensis) and 

 Mauritius. 

 P. 514. The Pygopodida; cannot be described as lead- 

 ing a usually subterranean life, any more than our 

 common slow-worm. 



P. 529. The map showing the distribution of Anguidas 

 and Iguanida; is not quite correct, since the former are 



»8i3; 



-".\Iligator turtle " iMac?Oilcnimys ten 



■M). 



represented in South-eastern China {Opkisaitnis harti) 

 and the latter extend to the South-eastern United 

 States (Anolis, Sceloporus, Phrynosoma), as stated in 

 the text. 



