266 



NATURE 



[July 23, 1896 



wo uld require a great lapse of time to cause the submarine 

 and supramarine areas to change places, even if the 

 ascending movements in the one region and the descend- 

 ing in the other were continuously in one direction. But 

 we have only to appeal to the structure of the Alps, where 

 there are so many shallow and deep-water formations of 

 various ages crowded into a limited area, to convince 

 ourselves that mountain-chains are the result of great 

 oscillations of level. High land is not produced simply 

 by uniform upheaval, but by a predominance of elevatory 

 over subsiding movements. Where the ocean is e.xtremely 

 deep it is because the sinking of the bottom has been in 

 excess, in spite of interruptions by upheaval" (p. 124). 

 " Movements of 1000 feet or more would turn much 

 land into sea, and sea into land, in the continental areas 

 and their borders ; whereas oscillations of equal magni- 

 tude would have no corresponding effect in the bed of 

 the ocean generally, believed as it is to have a mean 

 depth of nearly 13,000 feet. The greatest depths of the 

 sea do not exceed the greatest heights of the land ; it 

 may, therefore, seem strange that the mean depth of the 

 sea should exceed the mean height of the land six times, 

 even taking the lowest estimate of the ocean depths as 

 given by the late deep-sea soundings. This apparent 

 anomaly arises from the fact that the extreme heights of 

 the land are exceptional and confined to a small part of 

 its surface ; while the ocean maintains its great depth 

 over enormous areas. It is evident that, during the 

 recent periods of the earth's history, there have been 

 great subsidences and elevations of the land ; many 

 raised beaches are 1000 to 1200 feet above sea-level. 

 Dana, following Darwin's theory of atoll formation, 

 terms the atoll a memorial of a departed land, and con- 

 siders that the great Pacific subsidence was contem- 

 poraneous with the post-glacial upheaval in the north" 

 (p. 123). 



The volume concludes with three brief appendices, 

 giving (a) a useful account of the common rock-forming 

 minerals, {b) a classification of plants, and (r) of animals, 

 both living and fossil. 



The name of each mineral is conveniently printed in 

 blacker type than the rest of the text, so as more readily 

 to catch the eye. The names of the extinct orders of 

 plants and animals are similarly printed in blacker type. 



In appendix (c) there are a few errata, which should be 

 corrected in a future edition. For instance, the worms 

 of various kinds appear under two headings ; nine orders 

 being arranged in Series V. (p. 6og), under Annuloidea, 

 and four other orders have crept into Series VIII. under 

 Arthropoda (on p. 610). On the same page " May-flies " 

 are given as an example of Orthoptera instead of Blatta 

 or Mantis. The Phyllocarida (represented by Neba/ia, 

 Ccra/iocaris, &c.) have been accidentally omitted ; also 

 .Schizopoda and Cumacea. 



In the Reptilia, Proterosauria and Procolophonia are 

 left out ; and for Orthopoda, we would suggest Ornitho- 

 poda (bird-footed) as more correct. For Odontornae 

 (p. 612) read Odontormje. Under Mollusca (on p. 609), 

 by using the terms Gastropoda and Pulmonata, the 

 student is in danger of supposing that snails are not 

 gasteropods, whereas the Pulmonata are only a sub- 

 division of the Gasteropoda. 



We have only referred to this last appendix because it 

 is stated (on p. 612) that the classification followed is 

 that of Huxley, E. T. Newton, and Zittel ; but no one 

 would for a moment wish these authors to be held 

 responsible for misprints which have accidentally crept 

 into the table in its present form. 

 NO. 1395, VOL. 54] 



It is to be regretted that the classification of the fishes- 

 followed by Prof Judd, is that of Prof Zittel, which is 

 now considerably modified by the later arrangement 

 (1896) of Mr. Arthur Smith Woodward. In this latest 

 work we find that Ptcraspis, Ccphitlaspis, Pterichtliys., 

 &c., are placed in a distinct division of armoured noto- 

 chordal animals, the Ostracodermi ; while the old division 

 Placodermi, is broken up ; the Arthrodira (Coccosteus- 

 ///<Y-fishes) alone remaining. In a similar manner the 

 Actinopterygian order has replaced the old order 

 Ganoidei, which has disappeared. 



We have already spoken in commendation of the great 

 abundance and excellence of the illustrations (more than 

 700 in number) which adorn the present work ; we may, 

 however, venture to take exception to the figures of 

 Cephalaspis Lyelli (p. 380) and of Ptcrichthys (p. 382). 

 Page's figure should be replaced by the careful restora- 

 tion by Prof Ray Lankester, and Hugh Miller's Ptcrichthys 

 by Dr. R. H. Traquair's elegant and accurate figures of 

 that remarkable genus. 



Time and space alike preclude us from doing fuller 

 justice to this excellent text-book ; but we feel assured it 

 will live on and be read not only by many geological 

 students, but by a large section of the English public 

 who still hold the name of Lyell in high estimation and 

 value his teachings. Thus will this little volume serve 

 to keep alive the memory of one who was, perhaps, the- 

 greatest geological writer and expositor of this century. 



BOULENGER'S CATALOGUE OF SNAKES. 

 Catalogue of the Snakes in ike British Museum (Natural 

 History). Vol. III. Containing the Colubrida; (Opis- 

 thoglyphae and Proteroglyphae), Amblycephalid;E, and 

 Viperidae. By George Albert Boulengcr, F.R.S. 

 Pp. xiv + 727, 25 plates. (London : Printed by Order 

 of the Trustees, 1896.) 



WITH the issue of the present volume Mr. Boulenger 

 completes his examination and description of the 

 herpetological collections in the British Museum, which 

 have occupied his attention for more than fourteen years. 

 The whole series of Catalogues thus brought to a con- 

 clusion consists of nine volumes. Two of these, issued in 

 1882, are devoted to the Batrachians, with the study ot 

 which Mr. Boulenger commenced his labours in our 

 National Museum, three to the Lizards (1885-87), one 

 to the Rhynchocephalians, Chelonians, and Crocodiles 

 (1889), and finally three to the Snakes. The enormous 

 series which has thus been examined, classified, and cata- 

 logued consists of 38,086 specimens. These have been 

 referred by Mr. Boulenger to 3905 species, while 1265 

 others, which are allowed by the author to be valid, but 

 are not represented in the British Museum, raise the total 

 number of known species of Batrachians and Reptiles to- 

 5170. While it is thus evident that our great National 

 Institution is not without its deficiencies, there can be na 

 doubt whatever that as regards its herpetological collec- 

 tions, when compared with similar institutions on the 

 continent and elsewhere, it stands absolutely unrivalled. 

 The collection of Reptiles and Batrachians at South 

 Kensington is "not only the largest but also the best 

 arranged in existence, every specimen of it having been 

 carefully examined and classified according to a modern 



