436 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS 

The Teratology of Fishes. By James F. Gemuttt, M.A., M.D., 
&e. Glasgow: James Maclehose & Sons. 
We are told in the Introduction that the primary object of 
this publication is to ‘‘ throw light on the structural aspect of 
the major abnormalities occurring in fishes, particularly in the 
trout and salmon,” and few will deny that ‘‘ the study of mon- 
strosities among fishes merits a distinct and important place in 
the biological field.”’ 
Among monstrosities some may be described as “‘ spontaneous 
or autogenetic.” Malformations are also capable of being pro- 
duced by environmental factors acting during the course of 
development. ‘Those arising in this manner “‘ may be termed 
acquired, and there is no evidence that they are transmissible,” 
and Dr. Gemmill considers it quite possible that ‘‘ for some 
types tke instances of acquired may outnumber those of auto- 
genetic abnormality.” These two groups tend to coincide with 
one another, but in any case “‘ the fact that a particular abnor- 
mality appears spontaneously is an argument for, and not against, 
the probability that the same abnormality can be artificially pro- 
duced. The converse proposition carries with it an even stronger 
degree of likelihood.” 
The Introduction is followed by a bibliography—“ Literature 
relating to the Teratology of Fishes ’’—which contains two hun- 
dred and seventy-six references, and its compiler modestly hopes 
‘‘that the lists may not show greater defects than are pardon- 
able in a first bibliography on a wide and scattered subject.” 
This catalogue will receive a warm welcome by students, and we 
are glad to see that the pages of ‘ The Zoologist’ have contri- 
buted a small item in the bibliography. We may hope in the 
future that our Journal may provide more material for these 
records. 
