i6 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



caught by the tail, mice by the head, foxes by the 

 tongue and birds by the bill or toe, but still remain 

 able to convey their unwelcome guests for long 

 distances. Fresh-water limpets have been found 

 stealing a ride upon the backs of water beetles 

 when flying through the air, also on toads and frogs 

 whilst crawling through the grass from pond to 

 pond. Though to the thoughtless these incidents 

 may seem of more amusement than value, taking Mr. 

 "Wallace's words in the preface, we trust that they 



" are so curious and interesting that they will 

 attract the attention of many classes of readers, 

 and thus lead, it is to be hoped, to the accumulation 

 of facts which are still required to complete our 

 knowledge of this important subject" (of dis- 

 tribution). " It is owing to such trifling occurrences 

 as the occasional attachment of a living shell to a 

 beetle's leg, or the conveyance of seeds in the mud 

 adhering to a bird's foot, that many remote islands 

 have become stocked with life, and the range of 

 species extended or modified over the earth, while 

 through the changes of organic environment thus 

 effected, even the origination or the extinction of 

 species may have been brought about." 



Chapters viii. and ix. are well worth attention, 

 as showing the influence of the civilisation of 

 mankind in unintentionally contributing to the 

 equalization of the fauna of various regions, if 

 climatically suitable. This agency must neces- 



SPH/ERIUM corneum on the leg of Dytiscus. 



sarily increase in force now that travel and transit 

 has become so rapid and certain with the aid of 

 steam. It then becomes incumbent upon us in 

 these comparatively early stages of artificial dis- 

 tribution by man's agency, to watch for every 

 evidence, so that we may hand down to posterity 

 some record of these wanderings of certain animals 

 from their localities of origin. Mr. Kew points 

 out that 



" Many facts illustrating the extent to which 

 certain faunas have been alloyed by man might be 

 given. All the species of Limax described as 

 native to Australasia are referable according to 

 Mr. Hedley either to L. maximus, flavus, gagates, 

 agrestis, or Icevis, all, except the last, believed to 



have been introduced by man from Europe 



Our common garden snail (Helix aspersa) introduced 

 into the Cape, apparently within the memory of a 

 living naturalist, is there astonishingly prolific; in 

 Australia, when it once obtains a footing, it in- 



creases at an enormous rate, .... in the Botanical 

 Gardens of Sydney, for instance, it absolutely 

 swarms." 



Although the temptation to quote many such 

 instances with other species is great we must re- 

 frain, but before leaving the notice of the many 

 good qualities in this work, we must not omit any 

 reference to the index, as all students know to their 

 cost how important is a good index when looking 

 up the literature of any subject. Mr. Kew has 

 certainly excelled in the management of that 

 department, which is of such consequence in saving 

 the time at our disposal for research. Better still 

 are the useful footnotes at the bottom of each page, 

 giving the author's authority for his varied state- 

 ments. These notes are very full and satisfactory. 



We understand this is Mr. Kew's first work 

 published in book form, and we trust that what we 

 have to say in criticism will have the effect of 

 inducing the publishers, when a new edition is 

 required, to allow the author to revise certain 

 points and extend others. The most disappointing 

 defect in this work is the want of a final summary 

 attached to each chapter, of the evidence and con- 

 clusions to be drawn, which would have added 

 greatly to the value of the work. We can com- 

 mend the author's modesty in speculation, but 

 these conclusions from one who has had so great 

 experience in investigating the subject, could not 

 have failed in interest. There are a few clerical 

 errors which will doubtless be corrected in the next 

 edition : for instance, the initials of the celebrated 

 Bourguignat are J. R. and not M. J. R. as given 

 at page 189, the M. being for Monsieur. We 

 believe, in the light of recent discovery, the state- 

 ment at page 93, that not a single species of the 

 fresh-water mollusca lives in the Azores, requires 

 revision. We congratulate the author on his first 

 book, and hope it will soon run to a new edition, 

 when these very small matters can be put right. 



J. T. C. 



The Royal Natural History. Edited by Richard 

 Lydekker, B.A., F.G.S., F.Z.S. Super Royal 8vo, 

 36 monthly parts. Part iv., price is. (London : 

 Frederick Warne and Co.) 



When Charles Knight published his " Museum 

 of Animated Nature," in 1856, he was justly 

 proud of its success. That fine old work doubtless 

 gave the taste to many a young reader, which 

 has left its impress on our present age. The 

 multitude of drawings, for there were as many 

 pages of pictures as of letterpress, were a joy 

 to youngsters, who are now — well, not so young 

 as they were. What Knight did for that genera- 

 tion Messrs. Warne are now doing for us of 

 this period, excepting that Knight's letterpress was 

 the weakest part of his book, whilst that of the 

 "Royal Natural History" is of a high character 



