1879. | Recent Literature. 513 
After the snow and ice of this great geological winter had 
passed away, and a climate very similar to that which we now 
enjoy had covered the land with its present flora and fauna, we 
find the first clearly acceptable evidence of the presence of man. 
The geological records before us are brought down to our own 
time by many relics of the stone-age of Europe and America, 
besides a collection illustrating the arts of the Egyptians and: 
Etruscans. Here, too, is a cast of the celebrated fossil-man of 
Guadaloupe, the original of which is in the British Museum. 
One of the most interesting truths illustrated by the geo- 
logical collections at the School of Mines, is the fact of the 
humble beginning of both plant and animal life on our globe, and 
their constant increase both in variety and specialization, as we 
follow their progress through the geological ages. Every one 
who is interested in the great question of our time—evolution— 
should make himself familiar with a collection of fossils arranged 
geologically, in order that he may see with his own eyes the facts 
written in the great stone book of the geologist, on which the 
man of science bases his theories and conclusions. 
:0: 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
Brenm’s ANIMAL Lire, Birps.1—Lovers of birds, even if they 
are not those of the United States, will be interested in this excel- 
lent work of Dr. Brehm, of which the first two volumes lie before 
us. The first volume begins with an account of the skeleton, and 
anatomy of the soft parts, while their physiology is briefly dis- 
cussed, also the motions of birds, their songs and powers of speech, 
sense-faculties, psychology, distribution, development, their every- 
day life, their courtships, pairing, nesting and breeding habits, early 
life and migrations. Dr. Brehm’s classification is as follows: The 
prey. The second volume completes the account of the Acczpi- 
tres; these are succeeded by the Passerine birds, the second vol- 
ume ending with the Gyraéores, or pigeons, and the dodo. It 
will be seen from this enumeration that the classification adopted 
by the author, a distinguished German ornithologist, is somewhat 
unlike that of Lilljeborg, a Swedish naturalist, adopted by most 
merican authors, as the Passeres are, at the present day, placed 
' Brehm’s Thierleben. Allegemeine Kunde des Thierreichs. Grosse Ausgabe. 
Zweite Abtheilung. Die Vogel. Von Dr. A. E. BREHM. Band1, 2. Leipzig, 
1878. 8vo. New York, B. Westermann & Co. 40 cents a part. « 
