Reviews—F. Priem—Brehm’s Marvels of Nature. 179 
the many subsequent Physiographical studies which have since seen 
the light in this country. 
The most important French work, bearing the same title, “ La Terre,” 
as the present work, was written and published by J. Elisée Reclus, 
the well-known French geographical writer and traveller, in Paris, 
about 1864, and an Hnglish edition in four volumes appeared in 
1871, which was followed by a second edition some years later. 
Professor Edouard Suess in Vienna has also contributed “ Das 
Antlitz der Erde” (the face of the Earth) and his lamented son- 
in-law, Prof. M. Neumayr, has published ‘‘ Erdgeschichte der Erde”’ 
(the History of the Earth) ; while in England, the writings of Lyell, 
Ansted, Page, Lapworth, Huxley, Geikie, Young, Douglas, and many 
others have reduced the study of the Earth to a definite science, 
‘but at the same time have surrounded it by a charm peculiarly 
‘its own. 
_ The Editor of this new Edition of Brehm’s celebrated work we 
care told has carefully brought his subject up to date in all matters 
‘relating to most recent scientific researches. In the first part we 
thave an outline of the history of geology, then we consider the 
terrestrial globe in its relation to the other heavenly bodies, and 
afterwards study the various elements of our planet : its atmosphere, 
its lands and seas. : 
A great part of the work is occupied with a description of those 
continual changes of the terrestrial surface, due to the action of 
the seas, to running waters, and to the subterranean forces; especially 
the questions relative to glaciers, volcanoes, and earthquakes, are 
fully treated with all the development which they admit. 
The minerals and rocks are next passed in review, and special 
attention is directed to economic materials: the metals, and the 
precious stones. The volume terminates with an outline of the faunas 
and floras which people the earth. The book is profusely illustrated 
with 757 engravings, many of them of most excellent merit; but 
in some instances it is difficult to understand the reason for their 
introduction. Thus in the sections relating to the faunas of the 
globe, one would have expected to see the most characteristic forms 
figured, rather than those which are more rare. The ‘‘ Lemming” 
is not more characteristic of circumpolar Jands than the white bear, 
the walrus, the musk sheep, the reindeer, or the elk. 
The ‘tree-porcupine,” is not so characteristic of North America 
as the Bison, now, alas, nearly exterminated by man, or the Prairie- 
Dog (Spermophilus). The Orycteropus of the Cape rather represents 
its distant South American relatives, the Great Ant-eater, the Tree- 
sloth, and the Armadillos; and with the Pangolin (Manis) points 
‘to a former migration of the South American Edentata into South 
Africa, possibly vid the old Antarctic Continent. But the Zebras, 
‘Quaggas, Hlands, and other Antelopes; the Giraffes, Hippopotami, 
and Elephants, with Lions, Hyznas, and Ostriches, better represent 
the Cape-fauna thaa the Aard-Vark or the Manticora Beetle. The 
““ Aye-aye” (Cheiromys) is not so characteristic of Madagascar as 
the ordinary Lemurs, being an extremely rare form in that Island. 
