298 
NATURE 
[Man 23% rome 
(2) The work by Major J. Stevenson-Hamilton, 
warden of the Transvaal Government game 
reserves, deals with the big game, and to some 
extent the small mammals and birds, of the north- 
Fic. 2.—African hunting dog from the north-eastern Transvaal. 
eastern Tranvaal, and to a lesser extent of East 
Africa, Uganda, and the Upper Nile. There is 
an interesting picture of the white rhinoceros of 
Zululand from a specimen just killed—for, alas ! 
the care over this wonderful creature exercised by 
the authorities of Natal seems to 
From “ Animal Life in Africa.” 
tion leaves out many important features, and 
states others incorrectly. His maps illustrating 
gaps in the distribution of species are not alto- 
gether correct. For example, the oryxes extend 
far into Senegambia and almost 
to the Atlantic coast of the 
Sahara. In common with the 
gazelles, they are also probably 
found immediately to the south of 
the Upper Niger. In the map of 
the Ethiopian region the West 
African faunal area is quite 
wrongly delineated. This area 
covers no very wide belt of terri- 
tory along the west coast of 
Africa, and certainly does not 
extend so far north as the great 
bend of the Niger. On the other 
hand, it stretches across Central 
Africa to the kingdom of 
Buganda, to the west coast of 
Tanganyika, and down to the 
shores of Lake Mweru, besides 
covering much of northern 
Angola. 
In his treatment of the distribu- 
tion of mammals the author— 
like so many other writers on 
questions of zoography—omits 
any reference to the limited range 
of the zebra and the African wild ass. So 
far as extant information goes, no form of 
zebra has ever been met with near the Nile to 
the north of the roth degree of N. latitude, or west 
of the Mountain Nile. Zebras are found to the 
take the form chiefly of killing 
it aS specimens for museums. 
There ‘are many striking photo- 
graphs of gnus, impala, and 
lycaon hunting-dogs in the open, 
and of leopards, zebra, and eland 
in captivity—more or less; and 
there is much interesting and 
novel information regarding the 
life-history of lions, leopards, 
antelopes, and elephants. 
There is one defect in the work 
which irritates the eye, and that 
is commencing the _ italicised 
Latin name of a genus or family 
with a small letter (examples, 
bovidae, equus zebra). Some 
authors annoy the reader by spell- 
ing the specific name with an 
initial capital in addition to that 
of the genus. This is confusing. 
But the practice adopted by Major 
Stevenson-Hamilton of giving 
generic and family names without 
a capital letter is more vexatious. 
With regard to the first chapter on the great 
game of Africa, it is vitiated by a lack of sufficient 
acquaintance with the fauna of Western and West 
Central Africa. The author’s survey of this ques- 
NO, 2227, )VOE™O9)| 
Fic. 3.—A waterbuck bull in the act of rising. 
From ‘* Animal Life in Africa.” 
south-west of Tanganyika, and thence right across 
southern Congoland into Angola, but have never 
been heard of elsewhere in West Africa. The 
| ordinary black rhinoceros extends its range west 
