68 SCIENCE. 
perusal we can look back through ‘the corri- 
dors of time’ and admire the perspective with 
everything in due proportion. 
I regard this monograph as the greatest work 
on vulcanology ever written. Scrope’s work on 
the volcanoes of central France was indeed a 
great one—almost an epoch-making one in its 
day. Nor is its force or usefulness yet spent. 
For it may be still read with great profit and 
instruction. But it was much more limited in 
its categories and discoursed upon the volcanoes 
of asingle period. The work before us deals 
with yvulcanism in all its aspects and with 
volcanoes of all time, and embraces a vast ac- 
cumulation of knowledge, of which the world 
in Scrope’s time knew little or nothing. 
C. E. Dutton. 
Catalogus Mammalium tam viventium quam fos- 
silium. By Dr. E. L. TRounssart. Berlin, 
R. Friedlander & Sohn. January, 1897. 2d 
ed., fascic. I., Primates, Prosimiz, Chirop- 
tera, Insectivora. 8°, pp. 218. 
The appearance of the first part of the new 
edition of Trouessart’s ‘Catalogue of Mammals, 
Living and Fossil,’ will be welcomed by all 
students of mammals, for such compilations, 
in spite of their inherent imperfections, are a 
great practical convenience. 
The present part contains 265 genera and 
1,294 species, which numbers, contrasted with 
those of the first edition (1878-81), show a fall- 
ing-off of 104 genera and an increase of 200 
species. The decrease in genera seems to be 
due in the main to different limits assigned to 
the orders, chiefly from the shifting of fossil 
genera. 
- The work is apparently brought down to the 
end of 1896, as it includes Nesopithecus Forsyth 
Major (published in October, 1896) and recent 
species described by Thomas. For fossil forms 
Rogers’s ‘ Verzeichniss’ and Lydekker’s ‘ Geo- 
graphical History of Mammals’ have been con- 
sulted. Five new generic and subgeneric names 
are proposed, as follows: 
p. 17. Ehinostictus, based on Sclater’s Cercopitheci 
rhinosticti 1893. 
p. 19. Erythrocebus, based on Sclater’s C. erythro- 
noti. 
p. 22. Otopithecus, based on Sclater’s C. auriculati. 
[N.S. Vox. VI. No. 132. 
p- 68. Prosinopa for Sinopa eximia, 
p. 204. Seaptogale for Echinogale Pomel 1848, pre- 
occupied. 
The usual sequence of forms is reversed, the 
Catalogue opening with the genus Homo, which, 
by the way, is given independent ordinal value 
(‘Ordo I. Bimana’) in accordance with the anti- 
quated Cuyierian system.  Pithecanthropus is 
recognized as a valid genus—the highest anthro- 
poid—and is the first genus given under Pri- 
mates. The Lemurs are raised to ordinal rank. 
The classification adopted isin the main that of 
Flower and Lydekker (except that it begins at 
the wrong end), but we regret to see that Lydek- 
ker’s excellent division of the old order Edentata 
into Edentata (Armadillos, Anteaters and Sloths) 
and Hffodientia (Pangolins and Aard-varks) is 
not followed. 
The matter is so arranged that the specific 
names, references and synonymy form a broad 
column on the left-hand side of the page, while 
the geographic distribution occupies a narrower 
column on the right. Unfortunately, the type 
localities are not given at all. The specific 
names are numbered consecutively and are 
printed in black-face type; the subspecific 
names are not numbered and are in italics. 
‘Varieties’ are preceded by ‘Var.’ but the 
author neglects to state how he imagines a 
‘variety’ to differ from a subspecies. Synonyms 
are indistinguishable from the recognized sub- 
species, except that they lack the letter and 
dash [a.—] which precede the former—a hardly 
sufficient distinction. 
By this method of treatment the distinction 
between species and subspecies is greatly ex- 
aggerated—a common error among authors 
whose knowledge of the forms treated is de- 
rived mainly from books rather than from 
specimens. Whether the describer ofa new form 
accords it specific or subspecific rank depends, 
according to present usage, on his belief as to 
the existence or non-existence of intergrades 
connecting it with other forms, and his views 
on this subject are pretty sure to vary with the 
material at hand and the time spent in its 
study, and sometimes with his mood and the 
particular day his manuscript goes to press. 
Hence it is not surprising that an author often 
changes his attitude with respect to the status 
