Notices of New Books. 5339 



necks, and the artist seems so self-satisfied with this novelty in 

 Science that he has assigned three of these extraordinary necks to 

 two bodies. Notwithstanding these drawbacks the book will be found 

 highly instructive, and is published at a wonderfully low price : think 

 of a shilling for a hundred closely-printed and profusely illustrated 

 pages ! 



( A Manual of Marine Zoologij for the British Isles.'' By Philip 

 Henry Gosse, F.R.S. Part II. ; 12mo, 240 pp. letter-press, 

 339 woodcuts; price 7s. Qd. London: Van Voorst. 1856. 



The publication of the first part of this work elicited so many testi- 

 monies to its usefulness as to satisfy the author that he had not erred 

 in supposing that such a book was needed: he now introduces a 

 second and final part, hoping it may be received with as much favour 

 as its predecessor, and of this, I think, there is little doubt. By a 

 most singular coincidence the number of figures in this volume (three 

 hundred and thirty-nine) is exactly the same as in the former, and, as 

 each genus is illustrated, we see that the actiniate and exosteate forms 

 found in the sea are equal in number to the anosteate and endosteate. 

 Of the three hundred and thirty-nine figures two hundred and thirty- 

 two are original, one hundred being drawn from living, or, in the case 

 of fishes, from fresh specimens, and one hundred and thirty-two from 

 specimens preserved either dry or in spirit : a list at the end of the 

 volume shows the authorities from which the author has copied the 

 remaining one hundred and seven. A supplement to the first volume 

 is added, and in this the author amends the errors and deficiencies 

 which, in my former notice (Zool. 4885) I took the liberty of pointing 

 out as existing in his account of marine insects. 



One feature in this book is strikingly new \ the author appears to 

 consider we have no sea-birds in Britain : he dismisses them with this 

 brief note, — " Of the intervening classes, Amphibia, Reptilia and 

 Aves, Reptilia is the only one which includes marine species, and of 

 these none can properly be considered as British." — Footnote to 

 page 204. This seems to me a great mistake ; not only have we 

 birds so emphatically marine that they never leave the sea or its pre- 

 cipitous coasts, but they are birds of most interesting habits, and 

 would have added a most valuable chapter to this agreeable and useful 

 volume. 



