226 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 293. 



consists of (1) a central core of older volcanics 

 and Eocene or Oligocene limestones ; (2) beds 

 of basalt, volcanic ash and thick masses of Or- 

 bitoidal (Miocene) limestones enwrapping the 

 core ; (3) masses of talus derived mainly from 

 the Miocene rocks and covered by (4) a thick 

 detrital limestone which is derived from the 

 ■wear of the reefs which cover the higher por- 

 tion of the island ; (5) a raised reef of much 

 later date which covers the foot of the different 

 slopes composed of 4 ; and finally (6) the late 

 Pleistocene or recent limestones bordering the 

 sea which cling to the base of any of the older 

 formations which may be exposed. 



The historjf of the island seems to include the 

 deposition of several hundred feet of Eocene 

 limestone on a bank with a volcanic basis ; the 

 gradual deposition, with slow depression, of 

 masses of Miocene limestone ; then a gradual 

 elevation, with oscillations, during which guano 

 was deposited on low atolls, forming the origin 

 of the present masses of phosphate of lime ; and 

 finally the attainment of the present status of 

 an elevated limestone island with interbedded 

 volcanic layers surrounded by a narrow fring- 

 ing reef of coral. 



The prevalent wind on the island is the south- 

 east trade, which blows on the average 300 days 

 in the year, with occasional violent northerly 

 storms. As it is the violent rather than the 

 regular winds which transport exotic organisms 

 to isolated islands, it is natural that a large part 

 of the life on the island should be, as it is, in- 

 timately connected with the Malaysian types. 

 Nevertheless, there is a recognizable portion 

 of the fauna which is related to that of Ceylon 

 and another to that of Australia, though the 

 latter country is over 900 miles away. 



Of the 319 species of animals recorded, about 

 45 per cent, are regarded as endemic, though a 

 better knowledge of the fauna of Java may 

 diminish this number. Of the plants about 10 

 per cent, appear to be peculiar to the island. 

 Of both plants and animals not peculiar many 

 have a widespread distribution. 



Of the five mammals, two rats and two bats 

 are peculiar to this island ; while the shrew is 

 regarded as a variety of a species inhabiting 

 farther India. Thirty-one species of birds are 

 noted, of which seven land birds are endemic. 



The other vertebrates include one snake (Typh- 

 lops), three skinks and two geckos, of which one 

 skink and one gecko occur elsewhere. The 

 pelagic species are not counted in the fauna, 

 though three of them visit the island. 



Of the landshells fourteen species are enumer- 

 ated, of which six are local, but all belong to 

 groups widely distributed in the Oriental re- 

 gion. Three out of nine butterflies, ten of 

 the sixty-five moths, six of the nine Microlepi- 

 doptera, nine out of eleven Hymenoptera, 

 fifty-six of ninety-four Coleoptera, four out 

 of six Hemiptera, two of the five Neuroptera, 

 fourteen of the twenty-two Orthoptera, three 

 of the twelve Arachnids, and two of the four 

 earth-worms are regarded as peculiar to the 

 island. 



The illustrations of the work are first-class, 

 and the authorities of the Museum, Mr. An- 

 drews and Sir John Murray, are to be congrat- 

 ulated on the manner in which the description 

 of the island and the census of its organisms 

 have been carried out. The work will doubtless 

 long serve as a model for such investigations 

 and it. is to be hoped is the pioneer of many 

 other monographs of a similar character. 



Wm. H. Call. 



the humanities in hoeticttltuee. 



The second volume of the ' Cyclopedia of 

 American Horticulture,'* of which the first 

 volume was noticed in Science for June 1st, 

 sustains the high character evidenced in that 

 volume, and is of more than usual interest to 

 the general reader because it happens to in- 

 clude such general topics as greenhouses, herba- 

 ceous borders, horticulture, house-plants, labels, 

 landscape-gardening and lawns. These are all 

 so handled as to be interesting and suggestive 

 as well as instructive. Plates 14 (the formal 

 garden at Mt. Vernon), 15 (a modern informal 

 garden), and 16 (a modern cemetery with land- 

 scape planting) are especially commendable 

 illustrations. 



W. T. 



■■Bailey, L. H. and Miller, W. Cyclopedia of 

 American HoriicuHure, in four volumes. Vol. 2. 

 E.-M. New York, The Macmillan Company. 1900. 

 $5.00. 



