NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 397 



particular mammals we have failed to find it. Curious to know 

 what he might have to tell concerning the present range of the 

 Lion in India, we could find (p. 272) only the following bare 

 statement : — " The range of the Lion in this (the Oriental) 

 Region is limited to India, not extending to the eastward of the 

 Bay of Bengal [not anything like so far] ; and as this animal was 

 widely distributed during the Pleistocene in Europe, while it 

 ranges all over Africa [this is not quite correct], it may be 

 regarded as essentially a western type, or exactly the opposite of 

 the Tiger." In view of our recently published remarks on this 

 subject (Zool. 1896, pp. 281), the information here given strikes 

 us as being uncommonly meagre and disappointing. 



Similar vagueness of expression is to be found in relation to 

 other animals, as, for example, to the Saiga Antelope, which we 

 are told (p. 324) "is now confined to the steppes of Western Asia 

 and Eastern Europe, but during the Pleistocene Epoch extended 

 as far westwards as Germany, France, and England." For fuller 

 information concerning the present distribution of the Saiga, 

 Mr. Lydekker might have referred the reader to his own chapter 

 on this species in his ' Horns and Hoofs, or Chapters on 

 Hoofed Animals,' published in 1893. 



We are sorry to observe that in the " list of mammals known 

 to have inhabited the British Islands within the historic period "' 

 (pp. 349, 350), Mr. Lydekker has sanctioned the use of the 

 barbarous term " Assogue," which was proposed only last year 

 for the Stoat of Ireland. On its first publication (Zool. 1895, 

 pp. 124-129) we took occasion to protest against its introduction 

 into zoological literature, and pointed out that the spelling of an 

 Irish name " as pronounced" does not make it English. It still 

 appears to us that there is no good reason for its adoption, and 

 much to be said against it. 



Wild Life of Scotland. By J. H. Crawford, F.L.S. Illustrated 

 by John Williamson. 8vo, pp. 280. London : John 

 Macqueen. 1896. 



Love of fishing and a taste for out-of-door life have led the 

 author of this little book into picturesque parts of Scotland, and 

 he discourses pleasantly of his experiences. By the burn -side, 



