134 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



A communication was read from Mr. E. W. White, containing some 

 supplementary notes to a former paper on the birds of the Argentine 

 Republic. 



A communication was read from the Rev. G. A. Shaw, containing some 

 notes on the habits of an Aye-Aye which he had had in confinement for 

 several months, and other information respecting this animal. 



Mr. G. A. Boulenger read a paper containing the description of a new 

 species of Lizard of the genus Enyaliua from Peru, which he proposed to 

 name E. palpebrals. — P. L. Sclater, Secretary. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



CcusseWs Natural History. Edited by Professor Martin Duncan, 

 F.E.S. In six volumes, 4to, with numerous illustrations. 

 London : Casaell, Pettar, Galpin & Co. 1878—1883. 



We have been too long accustomed to find in zoological text- 

 books a long string of quotations from various authors of an 

 older generation, ill-assorted, uncondensed, and unverified, and 

 containing not un frequently a variety of statements which may 

 have been perfectly true in a sense at the time they were written, 

 but which very inaccurately represent the views of modern 

 scientists. It is time that such text-books as these were super- 

 seded, and we are glad to see the attempt which Ims been made 

 by Prof. Duncan in the volumes before us to furnish students of 

 Zoology with something more accurate, more comprehensive, and 

 more philosophical than they have yet been able to obtain in the 

 way of a text-book. 



Although the attempt has frequently been made, no individual 

 author has succeeded in producing unaided a satisfactory general 

 work on Natural History, it being virtually impossible for any 

 one man to be thoroughly conversant with every branch of so 

 large a subject. The merit of the present publication lies in the 

 fact that, under the guidance of a competent editor, the work has 

 been divided among specialists, each of whom has made a par- 

 ticular study of the class of Vertebrates, or Invertebrates, as the 

 case may be, on which he has undertaken to write. The reader, 

 therefore, may reasonably infer that the information afforded 

 him in each department of the work is, if not thoroughly 



