80 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



written down at random : several of the works, from the way in 

 which they are quoted, can scarcely have been seen by the com- 

 piler ; and in several instances old editions are quoted instead of 

 new and improved ones. 



To take a very few examples in the literature relating to 

 Vertebrates only, the following separate works and memoirs 

 dealing with Mammalia find no place in Dr. Nicholson's list : — 

 Flower, 'Osteology of the Mammalia' (3rd ed. 1885), and article 

 " Mammalia" (Encycl. Brit. 9th ed. 1883) ; Dobson, ' Monograph 

 of the Insectivora,' and ' Catalogue of Chiroptera in British 

 Museum;' Bell, 'British Quadrupeds' (2nd ed. 1874); and 

 Heilprin, ' Geographical Distribution of Animals.' No recent 

 literature is referred to on the Cetacea ; Gray's List of 1868 is 

 quoted, but not that of Flower, 1885 ; nor the " Recent Memoirs 

 on Cetacea"; nor the paper on the Delphinida (Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 1883). We look clown the list in vain for something recent also 

 on the Monotremata, though we must do Dr. Nicholson the justice 

 to add that recent researches (e. g. those on Ornithorhynchus by 

 Mr. Caldwell) are duly noticed in the body of the work (pp. 734, 

 735), although no reference is to be found in the list of works on 

 Mammalia quoted on pages 872 — 875. 



In regard to Ornithology, Prof. Newton's article "Birds" in 

 the ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' 9th ed., is duly quoted, but not 

 his equally important article "Ornithology" in the same work. 

 The contributions of Prof. Selenka to Bronn's ' Thier-Reich ' are 

 noticed, but not those of Dr. Hans Gadow. The all-important 

 Monographs of Gould, Sclater, Sharpe, Marshall, Shelley, Elliot, 

 and Dresser are ignored ; nor is there any allusion to such 

 necessary works of reference as those of Baird, Brewer, Riclgway, 

 Salvin and Godman, Tweeddale, and Legge. The ' Birds of New 

 Guinea' are not alluded to, and the Humming Birds — notwith- 

 standing the labours of Lesson and Elliot, and Gould's magni- 

 ficent Monograph — are left entirely out in the cold. From Dr. 

 Nicholson's list of "Bird-books" it would appear that the 

 majority of ornithologists must have been for many years asleep. 



This portion of Prof. Nicholson's ' Manual,' therefore, stands 

 in need of revision to make it that useful adjunct which un- 

 doubtedly it would then be to a modern course of Zoology for 

 students. The numerous illustrations with which the book is 

 interspersed, although not equal in merit, add materially to its 

 utility. 



