412 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 874 



nent place to his map, the authors have not 

 been able to avoid various parenthetical and 

 semi-apologetic references to the " holarctic." 

 The divisions of Sclater, made in 1857, are 

 introduced as the beginnings of zoogeography 

 and no mention is made of the much earlier 

 vcork of Wagner in 1844' nor of the map pub- 

 lished by Agassiz in 1854." The groups illus- 

 trated by the maps are taken up in systematic 

 order in the zoological text, the number of 

 species in each is stated, peculiarities of dis- 

 tribution are mentioned, and brief statements 

 are given of the character and habits of the 

 animals. In addition, the number of fossil 

 forms in each is stated. The distribution of 

 fossil forms is not illustrated and only the 

 present range is shown of animals that have 

 become restricted during historic times. The 

 bibliography is conveniently classified accord- 

 ing to regions and groups and is rather exten- 

 sive, although necessarily consisting of se- 

 lected titles, since the number of publications 

 having some pertinence is almost unlimited. 

 Certain important papers are omitted, how- 

 ever, and many rather inconsequential ones 

 have a place. Under Neotropical Region, one 

 notes with some surprise the absence of any 

 reference to such important works as Azara's 

 " Paraguay," Tschudi's " Fauna Peruana," 

 Maximilian's " Naturgeschichte," Castelnau's 

 "Expedition," and Darwin and Waterhouse's 

 " Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle." 



As a book, the atlas is very pleasing. The 

 binding, paper, typography and arrangement 

 are excellent. All the maps are mounted on 

 linen-hinged tabs and the colors employed in 

 limiting the distribution areas are soft and 

 harmonious. That it will have a large sphere 

 of usefulness is unquestionable and in spite 

 of what must be said as to looseness of detail, 

 a large measure of gratitude is due the au- 

 thors for having performed the prodigious 

 labor involved and produced a work on such 

 excellent general lines. 



Wilfred H. Osgood 

 Field Museum of Natukal History 



^ ' ' Die Geographische Verbreitung der Sauge- 

 thiere. ' ' 



- In Nott and Gliddon 's ' ' Types of Mankind. ' ' 



Der Aufbau der SJceletieile in den freien 

 Gliedmassen der Wirieltiere. Uniersuch- 

 ungen an urodelen AmphMen. By H. von 

 Eggeling, a. o. Professor und Prosektor 

 anatom. Anstalt Universitat Jena. Gus- 

 tav Eischer. 1911. Pp. 324, with 4 litho- 

 graphic plates; 14Y figures in the text. 

 The author states in the preface that he 

 was led to undertake a broad study of the 

 comparative anatomy and histogenesis of the 

 skeleton and ligaments because of the unsatis- 

 factory literature on this subject which he 

 was able to find when beginning a course of 

 lectures at Jena. The present volume repre- 

 sents the first stage of this study and contains 

 an extensive account of the skeletal structure 

 of the limbs of urodeles. The three questions 

 of general bearing which the author set for 

 himself on taking up the study were as fol- 

 lows : 



1. " In what relation to one another stand 

 the so-called coarse-fibrous and fine-fibrous 

 bony substances, the ' Wurzelstock ' of Gegen- 

 baur, the cement of the teeth and Sharpey's 

 fibers? What part do these structures take 

 in the structure of bone, aside from a merely 

 topographical one ? " 



2. " What is the phylogenetic development 

 of the compact bony substance of long bones ? 

 How have the Haversian canals arisen, to 

 what extent does their ontogenetic develop- 

 ment reproduce their phylogenesis? Are bio- 

 logical conditions to be made out on which 

 the development of vascular canals appears 

 dependable ? " 



3. " What appears to be the phylogenetic 

 development of enchondral ossification? In 

 what form and under what conditions arise 

 the marrow cavity and the bone-marrow? 

 Where, in what form, and under what condi- 

 tions do the centers of ossification of the 

 epiphyses develop? Is there an explanation 

 for the late, purely enchondral, ossification of 

 the carpus and tarsus of mammals ? " 



The author gives a good review of the lit- 

 erature dealing with the questions which he 

 postulates, then gives an account of the struc- 

 ture of the limb skeleton in the amphibians 

 which he himself has studied, some twenty- 



