IOO FIELP AND FOREST. 



mestication ' does to the first chapter of that work." His want of 

 knowledge and of research, however, has certainly prevented him 

 from attaining "the standard of excellence" he so nobly aimed at. 

 He is an ornithologist so far as knowledge of the skins and external 

 features, as well as habits, of a number of birds may constitute one ; 

 in like manner he is an entomologist ; his acquaintance with mammals 

 is slight; he evidently knows almost or absolutely nothing, through 

 autopsy, of the reptiles, amphibians, pisciform vertebrates, and mol- 

 lusks. By travel in many lands he has gained vivid conceptions of 

 distances and physiographical features, and the tout ensemble of ani- 

 mal and vegetable types. Such are his qualifications and want of 

 quaifications for the work undertaken. He can undoubtedly plead his 

 imperfection of knowledge in bar of criticism, and maintain that, for 

 example, he relied for ichthyology on Gunther, and for conchology 

 on Woodward. This is a valid plea so far as it goes, even though his 

 suspicions might have been aroused ; " for," says he " when we find a 

 group of [family or generic] rank scattered, as it were, at random over 

 the earth, we have a strong presumption that it is not natural " (vol. 

 i. p. 84). Indeed, it might even be a plea for total silence on the 

 subject ; for surely it is not unreasonable to demand that a writer 

 should have some knowledge of what he would treat about. 



The imperfections thus indicated detract materially from the value 

 of Mr. Wallace's work. Nevertheless it is a valuable work. A great 

 number of facts, real or apparent, are brough together in new con- 

 nection: the composition is generally very good, and much pleasant 

 reading is afforded ; the pleasure of perusal is enhanced by the large, 

 clear type. (The American edition is printed apparently from electro- 

 type plates of the English one; but in the binding and in compactness 

 the former is superior to the latter.) There are also several chapters 

 which indicate familiarity with the subjects treated of, as well as a 

 more than moderate acumen. Such are those " on the means of dis- 

 persal and migrations of animals " (vol. i. pp. 10-34), and "distribu- 

 tion as affected by the conditions and changes of the earth's surface " 

 (vol. i. pp. 35-49), as well as those parts of the one on " the oriental 

 region" relative to the Indo-Malayan subregion (vol. i. pp. 334-362). 

 Perhaps, then, on the whole, we should be justified in closing, even 

 at the cost of adding to the onerous duties already imposed, with the trite 

 old formula " that no gentleman's library will be complete without 



