NA TURE 



[July 15, 1909 



IHE ISLE OF n'ICHT.' 



NOWHERE else in this country can the geologist 

 find, along a coast line of only sixty miles, so 

 many \aried and magnificent cliff sections of the 

 Cretaceous and Tertiary formations, and in no British 

 area of equal size — a hundred and sixty square miles — 

 can the botanist collect so many species of flowering 

 plants, as in the " Garden Lsle," which has long been 

 a happy hunting-ground for field naturalists. Its rich 

 flora and fauna, conditioned largely by its diversified 

 soil, has already been dealt with in various works, 

 notably in Venables' " Guide to the Isle of Wight " 

 (i860), and in the Hampshire section of the " Vfctoria 

 County History " series. 



This new " Guide " contains a large number of 



realising the difficult task that I was undertaking"; 

 and he expresses himself content to have served as a 

 " horrible example " if by doing so those who come 

 after him are enabled to profit by his mistakes of 

 omission and commission. Such modesty disarms 

 criticism, and Mr. Morey's energy and enterprise 

 deserve the warm thanks and congratulations of all 

 who are interested in the natural his.orv of the Isle of 

 Wight. 



As is the case with all compilations, the book is 

 unequal in quality, but we feel bound to point out 

 two defects which, though common enough in works 

 of this kind, detract considerably from its value and 

 interest. 



A book which attempts to compress into a com- 

 paratively small space an enumeration of the entire 



-The Culver Cliffs ; Inset showing Herring GuUi at their Nests. From " A Guide to iha Nat na! History of the Isle of Wight." 



new records, and will at least form a good basis upon 

 which resident and visiting naturalists may build a 

 complete natural history of the district. The're can be 

 no_ question as to Mr. Morey's qualifications for the 

 editorship of this volume, since he has worked at the 

 fauna and flora of the island for fortv years, and in 

 producing the "Guide" has obtained' the services of 

 a capable band of systematists in the various branches 

 iealt with. One cannot but admire his industry, 

 versatility, and enthusiasm. He tells us, " when, 

 nearly three years ago, I decided to bring out a work 

 Y,-hich should fairly illustrate the fauna and flora and 

 the natural history fjenerally of the Isle of Wight, I 

 did so, almost literally, with fear and trembling, fully 



1 "A Guide to the Natural History of the Isle of Wight." A Series of 

 Contributions by Specialists, relatint; to the v.iiious branches of Natur.il 

 History and kindred subjects. Edited by Frank Morey. Pp. xx+560. 

 (Newport, I.W. : County Press ; London : W. Wesley and Son, 1909.) 



Price 8s. 6ci. net 



NO. 2072, \OL 



81] 



fauna and flora of a rich district, with an account of 

 its geology, to say nothing of articles on palaBolithic 

 implements, meteorology, and even earthquakes, must 

 necessarily consist largely of a census catalogue of 

 species. Lists of species are undeniably useful, and 

 not to be despised when compiled carefullv, but the 

 ideal to be aimed at in a real natural history is surelv 

 something that shall go beyond, and in some respects 

 be the antithesis of, a mere list. Beyond a few vague 

 references to the bare fact that the distribution of 

 species of flowering plants, mosses, &c., is affected 

 by the characters of rocks and soils, we look in vain 

 for any evidence of the scientific ecological spirit which 

 animates such works as Baker's " North Yorkshire," 

 Lees' "West Yorkshire," and Wheldon and Wilson's 

 "West Lancashire," and has made them valuable 

 contributions to the growing literature of plant 

 ecology. The three books cited are, of course, limited 



