198 Notes and Comments. 



AND ITS BOTANICAL SURVEY. 



About fifty of these will deal with the various groups of 

 animals, and ten with the plants. Part X., dealing with the 

 Phanerogamia and Pteridophyta, published recently, is by Mr. 

 Praeger, and gives a most interesting and readable account of 

 the higher plants under the following heads : — ' General Features 

 of the District,' ' Extent and Character of the Flora and Com- 

 parison of the Floras of adjacent Islands,' ' Description of the 

 Vegetation/ ' List of the Flora,' ' Influence of Man upon the 

 Flora,' ' Origin of the Flora,' ' Transport by Water, Wind 

 and Birds.' The part is illustrated by nine of Mr. Welch's 

 excellent photographs, and a vegetation map which shows 

 with great clearness the chief plant associations of the island. 

 The many-sided outlook on the flora of the island shown 

 by Mr. Praeger in these 112 pages is worth careful considera- 

 tion by all interested in study of the natural history of a 

 restricted area. 



' PUNCH,' THE NATURALIST. 



We have previously had cause to grumble at the fact that 

 our contemporary. Punch, pays too much attention to Natural 

 History. The limit has surely been reached in the number 

 before us (No. 3701). There is an illustration of a young man 

 who has apparently succumbed to the ' effect of a too prolonged 

 study of the cuckoo's note,' or at any rate made that his excuse ; 

 there is an illustration showing the best way to decoy snails 

 fi"om a garden city ; the artist, oddly enough, being a ' Bird ' ; 

 and there is an illustration of a teacher instructing a ' Nature 

 Study ' class to ' make careful notes of the behaviour of the 

 ordinary earthworm on its emerging into daylight!' Among 

 the notes not illustrated are references to an ' eight legged fish 

 that barks like a dog,' an ancient story about a telescope ' useful 

 for Naturalists and Etymologists,' ' larks' eggs six thousand 

 years old,' ' The Rose Garden,' a terrier that was run over but 

 only slightly injured, and Sudden Sundays. There is a poem 

 to a Crustacean, which begins ' Lobster, lo ! ' ; there is a cartoon 

 depicting cruelty to the race-horse, Tagalie. There are refer- 

 ences to dams for fish ; a note on Sodium Phenylmethyl- 

 pyrazolOnamidomethansulphonate ; a Lover of Nature who 

 shot elephants, deer and grouse ; Peacocks and Pansies, etc. 

 The same number contains illustrations of a dog, lion, 

 elephant, crocodile, cat, palm trees, fir trees, horses, dogs, rose 

 trees, a cow, calf, and Mercury. If Punch will not leave the 

 Naturalist alone. The Naturalist will have to seriously consider 

 the advisability of being humoi"ous. 



THE NEW LONDON MUSEUM 



We- recently paid a shilling for a guide to the extraordinary 

 miscellaneous collection gathered together, with no apparent 



o Naturalist. 



