458 Recent Literature. [July, “3 
: i 
having been invited by the cacique or governor of the town of Gualpi. 
As soon as we had ascended to the roof of the first story of the 
house, we were directed to be seated on robes, and forming a cir- 
cle with our legs tucked under us, Turk-fashion, a huge earthen 
bowl of dried pumpkin soup was placed before us. Into this, 
each of us thrust the first two fingers of either hand, in turn, 
and raised it to our mouths. The second course consisted of the 
piki, which was followed by dried fruits and meats. 
The manner in which corn is sometimes served is an excellent 
one. When in the milk, it is cut down raw and the pulp made 
into little cakes and rolled up in the husks. This is then either 
boiled or placed in the ashes to roast, but in either form it is par- 
ticularly agreeable. In every house we entered, we were treated 
in a most hospitable manner. The Moqui bread was invariably 
set before us, after robes had been spread for us to sit upon. 
:0! 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
JORDAN’ s MANUAL OF THE VERTEBRATA!—This work fills a 
unique place in our educational and scientific literature, and our 
formerly published anticipation that a new edition would soon be 
called for, is now realized. It is simply the only book which can 
be used by the teacher or scholar in imparting or acquiring a 
knowledge of perhaps the most important branch of biology, as 
represented in the north-eastern quarter of the United, States. It 
does not aim to do more than furnish a basis for the simple recog- 
nition of the species of the Vertebrata of this region, together 
with the groups of all ranks into which they naturally fall. In 
this effort the author is mainly successful. The definitions are 
concise, and generally exclude all but essential features. This is 
a merit not to be lightly overlooked, in view of the proneness on 
the part of many writers to mingle the non-essential with the 
essential, and to produce a prolixity very confusing to the student. 
Of course, where the author adopts names which do not represent 
things or ideas—which in some instances he does, in deference to 
authority, we suppose—definition is impossible. In these, and in 
some others where there is some practical difficulty in the obser- 
vation of the true characters, definitions of a trivial nature are 
employed. We allude especially to such generic definitions as 
consist of qualities of color and size; characters which are essen- 
ea specific, and must always be so. This has been done in 
nual T the Peiris = the e n dige States, east of the meeenga i 
river aa north of North C na and Tennessee, exclusive of Marine species. 
Sg D. S. aca 8vo, i poy Chicks Toni McClurg & Co. 2d n 
