78 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



resided in the more friendly districts ; and the visits of men-of- 

 war and trading ships have been very frequent. Thus oppor- 

 tunities have been at length afforded to enterprising naturalists 

 like Dr. Guppy to investigate the general features of the islands, 

 and to learn something of the geology, fauna, and flora of this 

 remote group. 



We do not clearly appreciate the suggested advantage of 

 presenting his work to the world in two not very thick volumes, 

 when one would have sufficiently answered the purpose. But 

 however this may be, the value of the work is not thereby 

 impaired. In the volume first above quoted, besides the journal 

 of Gallego and the narrative of the discovery of the islands 

 above alluded to, we find the anthropology and ethnology of 

 the group carefully treated, and illustrated with photographs ; 

 and, in addition, a detailed account of the fauna and flora. 

 Passing over the " Botanical Notes " and " List of Plants " 

 (pp. 280 — 307), we find chapters on the Reptiles and Batrachians 

 (pp. 308 — 318), and Land and Fresh-water Shells (pp. 336 — 351), 

 with useful lists of the species collected, the most interesting 

 chapter, perhaps, in this volume being that headed " General 

 Natural History Notes" (pp. 319 — 335). In this we have an 

 account of the Cocoa-nut-eating Crab, Birgns latro, from which 

 it appears that this curious crustacean feeds only on the fallen 

 cocoa-nuts, and does not climb trees for them, as has been 

 hastily asserted by some writers (p. 322). Then follows a de- 

 scription (p. 323) of the Nicobar Pigeon, so instrumental in 

 transporting seeds from place to place. To this succeeds some 

 notice of the " Bush-hen " (Megapodius brenchleyi), a familiar 

 bird in these islands, which buries its eggs in the sand to a depth 

 of between three and four feet. 



" Edible Birds' Nests," " Millipedes," and " Hermit Crabs " 

 are dealt with in turn, and the last chapter in this volume 

 is on " Climate." It is said that the climate is damp and 

 debilitating, the rainfall unusually heavy, and fever and ague 

 prevalent on the coast; the dry season with north-west winds 

 lasting from December to May. 



In the second volume, which might well have been incorporated 

 with the first, Dr. Guppy deals with the geology of these islands, 

 which, it appears, are slowly rising, and traces of ancient 

 upheaval are readily observable. Some of the smaller islands 



