NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 135 



exhaustive, at least thoroughly reliahle, so far as it goes ; and 

 this is what is wanted at the present day. 



We will not pretend to say, as regards the Vertebrata, that 

 the various classes have been so well treated of as not to stand 

 in need here and there of improvement, for we have noted several 

 cases in which fuller information would be desirable, and some 

 rearrangement necessary to ensure greater accuracy and sim- 

 plicity. 



In the case of the In vertebrata, for want of a sufficient 

 knowledge of many of the groups, we hesitate to express an 

 opinion ; but the names of the writers, as it seems to us, furnish 

 a sufficient guarantee of the accuracy of their work. 



The contents of the volumes may be thus briefly stated : — 



Vol. I. — Apes and Monkeys, by Dr. Duncan ; Lemurs, by Dr. Murie ; 

 Bats and Insectivorous Mammals, by Mr. Dallas. 



Vol. II. — Land Carnivora, by Prof. Parker ; Aquatic Carnivora, Cetacea, 

 and Sirenia, by Dr. Murie ; Elephants and Conies, by Prof. Boyd Dawkins 

 and Mr. Oakley ; Ungulata, or Hoofed Animals, by the two last-named 



and Prof. Garrod. 



Vol. III. — Ruminauts, by Prof. Garrod ; Rodents, by Mr. Dallas ; 

 Edentata (Sloths, Auteaters, and Armadilloes) and Marsupials, by Dr. 

 Duncan ; Birds (the Accipitres and Picarise), by Mr. Sharpe. 



Vol. IV. — Birds (the remaining Orders), by Mr. Sharpe ; Reptiles and 

 Amphibians, by Dr. Duncan. 



Vol. V. — Fishes, by Prof. Seeley ; Mollusca and Tunicata, by Dr. Wood- 

 ward ; Molluscoidea, by Miss Crane ; Coleoptera, by Mr. Bates ; Hymen- 

 optera, by Mr. Dallas. 



Vol. VI. — The remaining Orders of Tnsects, by Mr. Dallas ; Myriopoda 

 and Arachnida, by Mr. Dallas ; Crustacea, by Dr. Woodward ; Vermes, 

 Zoophyta, and Infusoria, by Dr. Duncan; Echinodermata, by Mr. P. H. 

 Carpenter ; Spongise, by Prof. Sollas : Rhizopoda, by Prof. Rupert Jones. 



It would be, of course, impossible in the limited space at our 

 disposal to give anything like an adequate review of each volume, 

 the contents of which are here indicated ; but it will be seen 

 from the above array of names that the Editor of the work has 

 spared no pains to make it as complete and accurate as possible 

 by securing the co-operation of those who are well qualified to 

 write on the subjects allotted to them. 



This, as we have said, is a characteristic feature in the 

 present work. Another feature is the way in which the Editor 

 deals with the subject of classification. Nine authors out of ten 



