AUGUST 14, 1902] 
author as important, in spite of the reduced size, or even 
absence, of that structure in marsupials. 
The author's classification of the latter calls for no 
special comment, although attention may be directed to 
certain remarks on p. 128 as to the origin of the two 
chief groups, in which the view of the northern origin of 
the entire order is adopted without hesitation. As to 
whether diprotodonts came into existence as early as the 
Jurassic or the Cretaceous, Mr. Beddard maintains a 
cautious reserve, although we think he might have 
expressed a definite opinion on this point without undue 
risk. It is, perhaps, a pity, in the light of modern 
discoveries, that Owen’s footless figure of the skeleton of 
Diprotodon is reproduced ; and it rather puzzles us to 
reconcile the statement on p. 146, as to the close affinity 
of this creature to the kangaroos, with the assertion on 
the opposite page that its hind-foot could not be more 
unlike that of a kangaroo than it actually is. 
But Mr. Beddard seems to take a delight in puzzling 
his readers by statements that to the average mind 
appear absolutely contradictory. For instance, on p. 
160, after stating that the extinct Patagonian Prothyla- 
cinus and Amphiproviverra “are not merely polyproto- 
donts, but definitely dasyures,” in the very next paragraph 
it is suggested that they are not marsupials at all. 
The Edentate order is taken to include the pangolins 
and aard-varks as well as the typical American forms, 
although it is stated that the aard-varks do not show 
marked signs of affinity with the pangolins. A strong 
point in favour of the author's system is that the pangolins 
are stated to possess a muscle found elsewhere only in 
the American edentates. Fossil forms are treated at 
some length, but it would have been better had the 
author reproduced one of the figures of Glyptodon 
published by the La Plata Museum instead of the cut of 
an imperfect example from one of Owen’s works. The 
inclusion of the North American Eocene ganodonts 
among the edentates is, we believe, a feature which 
appears for the first time in an English text-book. 
The chapter on ungulates commences with a well- 
written description of the foot-structure of the different 
groups, followed by an interesting discussion on horns 
and antlers. Mr. Beddard was fortunately able to intro- 
duce a brief account of the okapi, although he was, of 
course, unacquainted with the fact that the adults are 
horned. This being so, it is somewhat curious to find 
no mention of Dr. Andrews’s description of ancestral 
Proboscidea from Egypt, which was published about 
the same time as the announcement of the discovery of 
the okapi. We have already had occasion to allude to 
the authors unfortunate error in regard to the nature of 
the dentition of fossil elephants, and we are obliged to 
say that the whole chapter on ungulates, especially as 
regards recent forms, is far from being as satisfactory as 
it ought to be. In pointing out certain deficiencies and 
errors in this and other parts of the work, it may be well 
to state that it would be scarcely worth while to allude 
to these, were we not impressed with the high value and 
importance of the work as a whole, which makes it the 
more to be regretted that such blemishes should occur. 
As regards the Equidz and Tapirida, we have little 
or no fault to find, but when treating of the rhinoceroses, 
the author should have been aware that the white species 
has been recorded from Central Africa, while the affinity 
to this species of the extinct so-called Rhinoceros ticho- 
rhinus should have been indicated. More severe 
criticism is called for with regard to the chapters on the 
deer and hollow-horned ruminants, which are every- 
where “scrappy” and in many cases absolutely mis- 
leading. To include among the typical deer such a 
widely different animal as Pére David’s deer is at the 
present day little short of absurd. But, unfortunately, 
the author appears quite unable to recognise the essential 
difference between the “brow-tined” and the “ forked ” 
NO. I7II, VOL. 66] 
NATURE 
SAS 
types of antlers, otherwise we should not have, on p. 301, 
the absurd statement that the antlers of the extinct 
Cervus (properly Anaglochis) sedgwicki are “like those 
of a red deer exaggerated.” It would be just as true to 
say that a leopard is coloured exactly like a tiger! The 
account of the species rightly included in the genus 
Cervus is, moreover, altogether inadequate, the reader 
not even being informed that the species incorrectly 
called C. /uehdorfi is one of several Asiatic representa- 
tives of the wapiti. The treatment of the antelopes, 
although brief, is fairly satisfactory, but in describing the 
wild oxen the author states that the gaur and the gayal 
have a white rump-patch, whereas that feature is dis- 
tinctive of the banting alone ; and he aids in perpetuat- 
ing the error that the British white park-cattle are the 
nearest relatives of the extinct wild ox of Europe. 
The sheep and goats are very unsatisfactorily treated, 
both as regards description and illustration, some of the 
figures being those of immature animals, while the 
distribution and nomenclature are in several instances 
incorrect. As an example, it will suffice to mention that 
(on p. 324) one and the same sheep is stated, under the 
name of Ovzs nahura, to be Tibetan, and, as O. durrhel, 
Indian. Again, in the description of the goats, after stating 
that the horns are never spirally curved, Mr. Beddard 
writes that the markhor (the horns of which are spirally 
twisted) is confined to certain parts of Afghanistan ! 
Little need be said with regard to the treatment of the 
other mammalian orders, which follows to a great extent 
the usual lines, and is generally satisfactory. Details 
connected with the characters or distribution of species 
are, however, in several instances not altogether correct. 
For instance (p. 418), it is altogether misleading to write 
of the South American Canzs jubatus as the red wolf of 
America ; while Enhydriodon (p. 440)—of which, by the 
way, the name is misspelt—has nothing to do with the 
sea-otter. Again, the statement on p. 569, that the 
monkeys of the genus Rhinopithecus have “also a long, 
but more definitely upturned nose,” seems to suggest that 
in certain instances the author has no practical acquaint- 
ance with the animals of which he is writing. Probably 
the recent transference of the Tibetan Aluropus from 
the bears to the raccoons was not published soon enough 
to allow of the animal finding a place among the latter 
in Mr. Beddard’s volume. 
To turn to another consideration, even careless readers 
will scarcely fail to notice that while the figure of the 
polecat (on p. 436) is lettered Mustela putorius, the 
animal is alluded to in the text as Putorius foetidus. 
Whether this is due to carelessness, or whether it is an 
instance of a remarkable hesitation displayed by the 
author as to which name to adopt for certain genera, it is 
not for us to say. Such hesitation is, however, very 
noticeable throughout the book, the author frequently 
using one name, although stating that an alternative title 
is the proper one. It is, indeed, very difficult to decide 
what has been his guide in this matter. Sometimes he 
follows modern ruling, as in the substitution of Microtus 
for Arvicola, while in other cases he retains discredited 
names, such as Cariacus for the American deer. In 
regard to the wide sense in which generic terms are for 
the most part used, we are in full accord with Mr. Beddard. 
As the result of a somewhat lengthened perusal of his 
work, we are glad to be able to say that the author has 
succeeded in producing a volume which cannot fail to be 
of very high value to all students of the Mammalia, 
especially from the standpoints of morphology and palz- 
ontology. It has failings (many of which might have 
been remedied by the exercise of a little more care on 
the part of the author and his editors), but these occupy 
a very subordinate position in comparison to its merits ; 
and, with this reservation, the work may be said to 
maintain the high standard of excellence of the series of 
which it forms a part. 15K Up 
