424 Recent Literature. (July, 
Insectivora of North America, as it was undertaken partly in continuation 
of his Arrangement of the Families of Mammals and “ partly for a 
general work on the mammals of North America,” and hence discusses 
the characters and mutual affinities of the insectivorous mammals of the 
whole world. To those who are already familiar with Dr. Gill’s former 
excellent work in this line, it will be sufficient to say that it is a work of 
the same thorough character as his former essay on the Hducabilia, pub- 
lished in 1872." He gives first a general history of the subject, which 
includes a critical notice of the views of the different systematic writers 
who have given these animals special attention, beginning with Cuvier, 
who in 1816 first combined them into a single distinctive group, down to 
the recent mature classification of Professor St. George Mivart, first pub- 
lished in 1867 and revised in 1872. The schemes of classification of 
the leading authorities are quoted in extenso, and the gradual progress 
noted from Gray’s crude and fanciful combinations (1823-1843), and the 
later more natural ones of Gervais (1854) and Wagner (1855), to the 
more highly improved schemes of Peters (1864), Mivart, and Gill 
(1872) ; while the retrograde system proposed by Fitzinger (1867-1869) 
receives the unfavorable criticism it so well deserves. Gill, in 1872 and 
in the present memoir, agrees essentially with Mivart in respect to the 
number and constitution of the families, but differs from him somewhat in 
respect to their order of sequence and combinations. 
Wagner, in 1855, first referred the peculiar genus Galeopithecus to the 
Insectivora, which genus had previously been associated with the lemurs 
by some writers, with the bats by others, and by others regarded as all 
isolated type. This recognition of its affinities was subsequently adopted 
by Peters, and later met with the approval of Mivart and our present 
author. 
The Jnsectivora constitute the sixth order of mammals in Dr. Gill's 
scheme of classification, which order he subdivides into two suborders, 
the Dermoptera, consisting of the Galeopithecid@, or so-called “ fying 
lemurs,” and the Insectivora vera, including all the other families. 
These are the Talpide and Soricide (combined into a “ superfamily 
Soricoidea) ; the Erinaceide (= superfamily Hrinaceoidea ; the Cente- 
tide and Potamogalide (= superfamily Centetoidea) ; the Chrysochloride 
(= superfamily Chrysochloroidea) ; the Macrocelidide and Tupayide ; 
(= superfamily Macrocelidoidea). An extinct family Leptietidea (Ame 
ican), is also recognized. The order, suborders, families, and subfamilies, 
are each elaborately diagnosed. A list of the genera with their sy 
onymy is also appended as well as a list of the monographic essays trent- 
ing of the different groups, with also some remarks on “ Range of Varia : 
1 Arrangement of the Families of Mammals. With Analytical Tables, prepa” ed fr | 
the Smithsonian Institution. By Turopvore GILL, M. D., Ph. D. Wasting ii 
Published by the Smithsonian Institution, November, 1872. 8vo, pp. Vi- gs. (Smite ~ 
sonian Miscellaneous Collections, 230.) 
