122 



NATURE 



[Feb. 5, 1880 



extensive subject. Under the title of "Biologia Centrali- 

 Americana " they accordingly propose to publish a series 

 of quarto volumes, of which the first four numbers are 

 now before us. These volumes will contain a series of 

 essays upon the Fauna and Flora of Mexico and Central 

 America, from the valleys of Rio Grande and Rio C7ila, 

 on the north, down to the Isthmus of Darien on the 

 south — being the area embraced in what Mr. Sclater, we 

 believe, has called the Panamanic or Transpanamanic 

 division of his Neotropical Region. For the better 

 perfecting of this great undertaking, the editors have 

 wisely confined their own labours to the birds and 

 butterflies, to which they have given their principal 

 attention. In other groups they have obtained the 

 assistance of their brother naturalists, and have, we must 

 say, shown great qualifications for the editorial portion of 

 their work, by making a very judicious selection of 

 contributors. 



Mr. E. R. Alston, well known as a most efficient 

 contributor to the Zoological Record, has undertaken 

 the mammals. For the part devoted to the reptiles, 

 amphibians,andfishes,thevaluable services of Dr. Giinther 

 have been secured ; while for the land and fresh-water 

 molluscs, our editors have gone as far as Berlin, whence 

 Dr. E. von Martens has promised to give them his most 

 efficient assistance. The crustaceans, or at least a small 

 but particularly interesting division of them, have found 

 a friend nearer home, in the person of Prof. Huxley, with 

 whom we all know the Malacostraca are one of his pet 

 subjects. The Arachnida have been assigned to the 

 Rev. O. Pickard- Cambridge ; whilst the various groups 

 of insects have been undertaken by different experts, 

 amongst whom we notice the names of Mr. Bates, Mr. 

 McLachlan, and Mr. Wood-Mason. The botanical 

 portion has been placed in the hands of Mr. W. B. 

 Hemsley, late of the Royal Herbarium of Kew. 



So much for the plan of the present work, which, when 

 complete, will form, it is estimated, as many as twelve 

 or thirteen volumes of 500 pages, although the authors, 

 being still in constant receipt of additional collections, do 

 not bind themselves to restrict their labours even to this 

 liberal allowance. Let us now turn over the parts already 

 issued, and see in what style they have commenced their 

 somewhat ambitious undertaking. 



The two zoological parts contain the commencement of 

 the essays on the mammals by Mr. Alston ; on the Birds, 

 by Messrs. Salvin and Godman ; on the Butterflies, by 

 the same gentleman ; and on the Longicorn Coleoptera, 

 by Mr. Bates. All these groups, if we understand it 

 rightly, are proposed to be treated of in nearly the 

 same manner. Taking Mr. Alston's contribution for an 

 example, we find the commencement of a complete 

 account of the mammals hitherto ascertained to occur 

 within the limits of the Transpanamanic Sub-region. After 

 a short general introduction on the monkey-life of 

 Central America and a review of the previous authorities 

 on the subject, Mr. Alston takes the species individually 

 and gives us an excellent account of each of them, 

 including its history, habits, and distribution. Out of the 

 ten known genera of American monkeys, six are repre- 

 sented by one or more species in Central America, and 

 one of these (A teles vellerosus) ranges as far north as the 

 upper basin of the Tampico River, in the State of San 



Luis Potosi, about 23° N. L. This is the highest point 

 north at which Quadrumana are known to occur in the 

 New World ; but in the Old World they certainly extend 

 further north, as, besides the Rock of Gibraltar, a well- 

 known locality of the Barbary Ape — the Japanese Island 

 of Niphon is inhabited by a peculiar species of Macaque 

 which probably extends northwards of the 35th parallel. 



In working up his next order, the Chiroptera, Mr. 

 Alston has largely availed himself of the labours of Dr. 

 Peters and Mr. Dobson, both well-known authorities on 

 this difficult group, of which the Central American species 

 are numerous, and of great interest. We are presented 

 with an excellent figure of Chiroderma salvini, a discovery 

 of Mr. Salvin's in Costa Rica, recently described by Mr. 

 Dobson. The Insectivora, which follow next in order, 

 are but feebly represented in the Neotropical Region, 

 where their place seems to be occupied by the small mar- 

 supials of the family Didelphyidae. Four species of 

 shrews of the genera Sorex and Blarina are the only true 

 insectivora yet known to] occur within the limits of the 

 present work. 



The "Aves" of the present work are undertaken 

 by the two editors themselves, and are worked out 

 in a somewhat more elaborate manner than are the 

 mammals. Latin diagnoses of all the species are given, 

 and besides the ordinary particulars as to their history 

 and affinities many details as to their habits in their 

 native wilds are extracted from well-stored note-books of 

 the authors. The plates accompanying this division of 

 the work, by Mr. Keulemans, are well executed and well- 

 coloured. 



The "Rhopalocera," also prepared by the editor, 

 though in this case Mr. Godman' s name is placed first, as 

 taking, we suppose, the greater share of the labour in this 

 section upon himself, are likewise fully treated of and 

 illustrated by some very beautiful plates. There is not, 

 however, so much scope in this group for the records of 

 personal observation as in the case of the birds. 



Besides the Mammals, Birds, and Butterflies we have 

 in part ii. of the "Zoology" the beginning of Mr. Bates's 

 essay upon the Longicorn Coleoptera of Central America. 

 Of this it need only be said that neither Mr. Bates's 

 ability to treat of any portion of one of his favourite 

 groups of insects, nor the mode in which he has executed 

 his present task are likely to be questioned. The thorough 

 character of all Mr. Bates's work is well known, and in 

 this case its value is increased by the beautiful coloured 

 plates by which some of the greater rarities are illustrated. 

 Our editors may well be congratulated on having pressed 

 such a first-class recruit into their service. 



Besides the two zoological parts above mentioned the 

 botanical parts of the "Biologia Centrali-Americana" by 

 Mr. Hemsley have also been issued. These contain an 

 enumeration of the Phanerogamous Plants of Central 

 America as far as the Meliacese, according to Bentham 

 and Hooker's arrangement, with the localities added, and 

 the characters in the case of the novelties recently 

 described. Six or seven plates by Fitch are attached to 

 each part, some of which are coloured from original 

 sketches made by Mrs. Salvin in Guatemala. What the 

 exact extent of the botanical portion will be we do not 

 find stated, but we presume that it will when complete 

 embrace a list of all the known Phanerogams of Central 



