Decemder 1 6, 1QC9] 



NA TURE 



183 



(3) The systematic treatment of the order Phytol- 

 accaceas, by Hans Walter, differs but slightly from 

 that adopted by Bentham and Hooker in the " Genera 

 Plantarum." The three tribes into which the order 

 is there divided — Rivines, Euphytolacceae and Gyro- 

 stemoneae — are here maintained with almost identical 

 limitations. Bentham 's genus Stegnosperma, classed 

 in the "Genera Plantarum" as a genus anomalum, is 

 regarded by Walter as the type of a distinct sub- 

 family, the order being divided into two subfamilies — 

 PhytolaccoidesB and Stegnospermoideae, the latter con- 

 taining the single genus Stegnosperma. There has 

 been considerable difference of opinion as to the 

 limitation of this order, especially in relation to the 

 Ficoideae, certain genera having been included by 

 different authors in each family. The criterion of one 

 or more than one ovule in the carpel is not a universal 

 one, and the author of the present monograph is con- 

 vinced that the structure of the inflorescence forms a 

 better means of^distinction between the two families. 

 A good proportion of new species is described in the 

 course of the work; thus, of twenty-six species of 

 Phytolacca, seven are here described for the first time. 



A. B. R. 



THE HAND-LIST OF BIRDS. 



A Hand-list of the Genera and Species of Birds. 

 (Nomenclator Avium tuni Fossilium turn Viventium.) 

 By R. Bowdler Sharpe. Vol. v. Pp. xx-l-694. 

 {London : British Museum, Natural History, 1909.) 

 Price 20s. 



DR. .SHARPE may be assured not only of our own 

 congratulations, but of those of ornithologists 

 in general, on the completion of his heavy task and 

 the issue of the final volume of a work the first of 

 which appeared so long ago as 1899. No one who 

 has not tried it can have any conception of the 

 ■enormous amount of labour involved in a task of this 

 nature, and when we add that the author estimates 

 the total number of distinguishable forms of birds as 

 close upon 19,000, it will be unnecessary further to 

 emphasise the magnitude of the work just brought 

 to a close. 



The value of these five volumes to the working 

 ornithologist — whether we altogether agree or not with 

 the author's view as to the limitations of genera, the 

 multiplication of family groups, and the non-recogni- 

 tion of local races — can scarcely be overestimated, 

 although it must always be borne in mind that the 

 work is meant to be used in connection with the 

 British Museum Catalogue of Birds, to the volumes 

 of which references are given under the headings of 

 the various species. In the case of many species, one 

 or two synonyms are given ; and almost the only im- 

 provement that we could suggest is that in the case 

 of genera and species where well known names have 

 been changed it would have been better if a larger 

 number of synonyms had been quoted, which could 

 have been done without any increase in the bulk of 

 the volume, as there is a large amount of blank 

 paper. 



We are glad to see that in the introduction Dr. 

 Sharpe takes the opportunity of making certain 

 NO, 2094, VOL. 82] 



amendments in the arrangement of the '" orders " of 

 birds, such emendations being, in our opinion, for 

 the most part a decided improvement on his previous 

 scheme. The most important item in this remodelling 

 is the abolition of Carinatae and Ratitae as the two 

 main divisions of existing birds, and the inclusion of 

 the tinamus with the ostriches to form one group dis- 

 tinguished by the structure of the palate from a second 

 group containing all other existing birds. When, 

 however, the author proposes to regard these two 

 groups (Neognathse and Palaeognathw) as equivalent 

 in rank to the one (Saururae) containing .\rchoeopteryx, 

 we beg to dissent from his views. 



In our notices of at least one of the previous volumes 

 of the "Hand-list" we have directed attention to the 

 want of uniformity in the spelling of geographical 

 names. Unfortunately, the author has not availed 

 himself of the hint, with the result that the 

 "pleasing" variety of orthography is more pro- 

 nounced in the present issue than in any of its pre- 

 decessors. We have, for instance, Malay Peninsula 

 and Malayan Peninsula on the some page (62), and 

 Malacca in another place ; Dcntrecasteaux (p. 63) and 

 D'Entrecasteaux (p. 69); Niasa-land (p. 47), Nyasa- 

 land (p. 3s), and Nyasa Land (p. 474); Cashmere (p. 

 167) and Kashmir (p. 173); Szechuen (p. 233) and 

 Szechuan (p. 26S) ; Somali-land (p. 184) and Somali 

 Land (p. 465); Damara-land (p. 185) and Damara 

 Land (p. 475) ; and Island of St. Thomas in one place 

 (p. 463) and S. Thome Isl. in another (p. 635). We 

 may also note (p. 175) Lipikia for Likipia. In our 

 own experience, the only w^ay to avoid discrepancies 

 of the above nature is to enter every name as it occurs 

 in a Hst, and to check all subsequent occurrences. With 

 the exception of these discrepancies, which are credit- 

 able neither to the author nor to the museum, we 

 have little except commendation to bestow on the 

 volume before us. 



For reference purposes, the whole work suffers,' 

 however, from the circumstance that the page-head- 

 ings on both sides are taken up by useless repetitions 

 of the general title, whereas the heading on one side 

 should have carried the family-names. In the case 

 of large families, to find the family-position of a 

 genus it is necessary, after ascertaining the page on 

 which it occurs from the index, to turn back until 

 the family-name is reached, or to refer to the table 

 of contents. In this respect the work compares badly 

 with the " Catalogue of Birds' Eggs." A general 

 index to the five volumes would also have been very 

 useful. R- L- 



SOCIAL EVOLUTION. 

 Darwinism and Modern Socialism. By F. W. 

 Headley. Pp. xv -1-342. (London: Methuen and 

 Co., 1909.) Price 5^. net. 



MR. HEADLEY has given the general reader a 

 comprehensive and well-stated case against 

 Socialism. He brings together the best of the known 

 economic arguments, and bases the whole on bio- 

 logical principles. 



The text is that " it is very difficult for a follower 

 of Darwin and Wcismann to be a Socialist." In a 



