﻿487 
  

  

  NOTICES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  BOOKS. 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  Natural 
  History; 
  a 
  Foundation 
  of 
  Useful 
  Know- 
  

   ledge 
  of 
  the 
  Higher 
  Annuals 
  of 
  North 
  America. 
  By 
  Wm. 
  T. 
  

   Hornaday. 
  George 
  Newnes, 
  Lim. 
  

  

  The 
  higher 
  animals 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  this 
  volume 
  are 
  Mammals, 
  

   Birds, 
  Reptiles, 
  Amphibians, 
  and 
  Fishes 
  of 
  the 
  Nearctic 
  fauna. 
  

   The 
  volume 
  contains 
  the 
  best 
  illustrations 
  we 
  have 
  seen 
  for 
  a 
  very 
  

   long 
  time, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  told 
  in 
  the 
  preface 
  : 
  " 
  Because 
  of 
  the 
  

   limitations 
  of 
  the 
  camera, 
  several 
  thousand 
  dollars 
  have 
  been 
  

   expended 
  upon 
  the 
  beautiful 
  drawings 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  J. 
  Carter 
  

   Beard, 
  CarlBungius, 
  Edmund 
  J. 
  Sawyer, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  artists, 
  

   which 
  adorn 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  illustrate 
  this 
  work." 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  original 
  photographic 
  illustrations, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  

   commendably 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  friends 
  one 
  usually 
  finds 
  served 
  

   up 
  in 
  the 
  illustrations 
  to 
  new 
  books 
  on 
  natural 
  history. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  subject-matter, 
  Mr. 
  Hornaday 
  possesses 
  some 
  

   very 
  strong 
  convictions. 
  He 
  is 
  no 
  admirer 
  of 
  our 
  modern 
  

   method 
  of 
  "nature 
  studies," 
  and 
  we 
  read 
  that 
  "the 
  author 
  

   maintains 
  in 
  this 
  volume, 
  and 
  also 
  out 
  of 
  it, 
  that 
  System 
  is 
  the 
  

   only 
  master-key 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  doors 
  of 
  Animate 
  Nature 
  can 
  be 
  

   unlocked 
  " 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  glad 
  to 
  learn 
  that, 
  through 
  the 
  advice 
  of 
  

   Dr. 
  T. 
  S. 
  Palmer 
  and 
  others, 
  " 
  the 
  author's 
  old-fashioned 
  prefer- 
  

   ences 
  on 
  certain 
  points 
  of 
  nomenclature 
  were 
  abandoned, 
  and 
  the 
  

   names 
  of 
  orders, 
  families, 
  genera, 
  and 
  species 
  were 
  brought 
  down 
  to 
  

   date." 
  Still, 
  some 
  ambiguity 
  exists 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  somewhat 
  archaic 
  

   terminology. 
  Thus 
  we 
  read 
  that, 
  "except 
  man, 
  the 
  mammals 
  which 
  

   live 
  upon 
  land 
  are 
  also 
  called 
  quadrupeds," 
  though 
  further 
  on, 
  

   that, 
  " 
  although 
  the 
  Bat 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  mammal, 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  wide 
  

   a 
  departure 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  four-legged, 
  land-going 
  type 
  as 
  is 
  

   a 
  Whale 
  or 
  Manatee." 
  Query 
  : 
  Are 
  we 
  to 
  understand 
  that 
  a 
  

   Bat 
  is 
  a 
  quadruped 
  '? 
  A 
  further 
  doubt 
  crosses 
  our 
  mind 
  as 
  we 
  

   examine 
  the 
  excellent 
  illustration 
  of 
  " 
  Skeletons 
  of 
  Man 
  and 
  

   Gorilla." 
  Mr. 
  Hornaday 
  states 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  widest 
  differences 
  

   between 
  Man 
  and 
  the 
  Gorilla 
  are 
  in 
  their 
  skulls," 
  and 
  certainly 
  

  

  