460 PHYSIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY, 



Tropical region, including the chief part of Africa, with Madagascar and Arabia, 

 12 million square miles, give 1250 species. The old world, middle, tropical or 

 Indian Province, has, to four million square miles, 1500 species, and the Austra- 

 lian Province, to three million square miles, has 1000 species. Mr. Sclater does 

 not at present enter upon the subdivision of these great provinces, but in respect 

 to each of them he gives the proportions of the eight orders of Birds, and notes the 

 most characteristic forms. We give his table of families peculiar to the new and 

 to the old world : — 



Familce Neogeance sive Novi Orbis. 



Todidce, Tyrannidce, 



MomotidcE, Cotingidoe, 



Bucconidm, Rhamphastidce, 



Galbulidw, Opisthocamidoe, 



Trochilidc^ Cracidee, 



Icteridce, Tinamidce, 



Caerehidae, Meleagrinm, 



FormicariidcB, Odontophorince. 

 Dendrocolapiidce, 



Familia Palaeogeance sive Orbis Veteris. 



Coraciidce, Proyneropidce, 



Furylaemidce, Muscicapidce, 



Meropidce, Musophagidce, 



Upupidce, Coliidce, 



Bucerotidce, Megapodidce, 



Sturnidce. Pteroclidce, 



Pavadiseidce, Phasianidce, 



Meliphagidce, PerdicincB. 



The same numbers of this valuable journal contain an interesting report on the 

 Botanv of tiie North Australian Expedition, under the command of A. C. Gregory, 

 Esq., by Dr. Ferdinand Mliller, Botanist to the Expedition. "We may state that 

 2000 species belonging to 800 genera, and 160 Natural Orders, were obseiwed. 

 Of these, 800 species are new to the Austrahan Flora, and 500 probably new to 

 Botanical Science. The writer estimates the whole vegetable productions of 

 Australia at 1 0,000 species. The notes on the useful plants observed are highly 

 interesting, and the choice of a Naturalist to enjoy the advantage of investigating 

 for the first time the Botany of an extensive and important region seems to have 

 been judicious. 



Among recent contributions to Physiology and Natural Science, Mr. Nunneley'a 

 paper on the structure of the retina, in the Journal of Microscopical Science, 

 should not be overlooked, as it seems to add considerably to the knowledge pre- 

 viously possessed, and to give the results of long series of careful observations of 

 a very difficult kind. 



Natural Science has lost another distinguished cultivator in Mr. Dawson 



