342 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



The Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand ; Reports on the Geo- 

 physics, Geology, Zoology, and Botany, dec. Edited by 

 Charles Chilton, M.A., D.Sc, &c. Published by the 

 Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, Wellington, N.Z. 

 London : Dulau & Co., Ltd. 



The scientifically unexplored islands of the world are be- 

 coming fewer, and the surface of the planet on which we live is 

 rapidly losing its secrets so far as fauna and flora are concerned. 

 The islands which have afforded the subject-matter for these 

 two truly biological volumes were till recently better known as 

 spots visited by whalers, or the inhospitable scenes of not a few 

 shipwrecks ; owing, however, to the enterprise and incitement of 

 the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, and the wisdom of the 

 New Zealand Government, they have now been included in our 

 ever-increasing faunistic records by the work of a scientific 

 party landed on the Auckland and Campbell Islands during the 

 annual trip of the Government steamer ' Hinemoa ' in November, 

 1907. 



This publication is a very thorough production, and an 

 ample historical Introduction is given, including "The Dis- 

 covery of the Islands," by the Hon. E. McNab, and a detailed 

 account of " The Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand and the 

 History of their Scientific Investigation," by Dr. Charles Chilton, 

 the latter contribution being fully illustrated and intensely read- 

 able. As maybe expected, the subject-matter of the two volumes 

 is the work of specialists, and is descriptive of the material 

 collected during the expedition. The insects collected by the 

 Campbell Island party were mostly Coleoptera and Diptera, 

 and we are told by Mr. Hudson that, " owing to the prevailing 

 heavy winds, the insects at Campbell Island fly very little, and 

 unless they are captured whilst at rest on some plant it is 



