1 882.] Recent Literature. 997 



Coral-animals; also the Starfishes." He regards the Lamelli- 

 branchiate mollusks as having degenerated from a higher type of 

 head bearing active creatures like the cuttle-fish. The Polyzoa 

 he appears to regard as degenerate mollusks, and the Rotifers as 

 having degenerated from forms provided with legs. 



The author then claims that certain human races are degener- 

 ated descendants of higher, more civilized peoples ; such as the 

 present descendants of the Indians of Central America, the mod- 

 ern P:gyptians, " and even the heirs of the great Oriental 

 archies of prae-Christian times," while the Fuegians, the Bus! 

 and even the Australians may also be degenerate races, 

 while he is indisposed to regard all the human races as deg 

 ated from an early high type of mankind, he recognizes the fact 

 that numerous races have fallen away from a higher stage. 



We are inclined to think that the examples of degeneration 

 mentioned by the author are really such. There are other exam- 

 ples not referred to by Professor Lankester, such as the lice and 

 Mallophaga, which are degenerate Hemiptera. Among the Dip- 

 tera are numerous wingless degraded forms, and when we take 

 into account the fact that nearly all Dipterous larvae are nearly 

 headless and evidently degenerated forms, we are inclined to think 

 that the entire group of Diptera, numbering at least 20,000 spe- 

 cies, are the result of a retrograde development ; the Tipulidse 

 may be an exception, but we were before reading this book dis- 

 posed to regard the entire order as having degenerated from a 

 lost type, with close affinities to the lower Lepidoptera. 



Geikie's Physical Geography. 1 — Professor Geikie, the author 

 of this little book, formerly held the chair of geology-in the Uni- 

 versity of Edinburgh, but is now director of the Geological Sur- 

 vey of Great Britain. As an authoritative text book this publica- 

 tion, therefore, needs from us no recommendation ; but besides 

 that, it is written in a clear, graphic, attractive style, and the mat- 

 ter is well arranged. We have found the book more useful for 

 teaching purposes than any other. It full enough and readable 

 enough to attract and win the scholar's attention. There are 

 some, though but few, points which in a subsequent edition might 

 be revised ; to the Challenger's soundings in the Pacific ocean 

 might be added the results of the U. S. steamer Tuscarora, from 

 San Francisco to Honolulu and Japan, also the results of the U. 

 S. Coast Survey soundings in the Caribbean sea, and the origin 

 and depth off Florida of the Gulf Stream, The author has de- 

 voted more space than is usual in similar class-books to the phe- 

 nomena of the atmosphere, but the treatment of the whole sub- 

 ject is throughout broad and catholic. 



x EUmentary Lemons in Physical Geography. By ARCHIBALD GEIKtE, LL.D., 

 F.R.s. IMustri! : n-ion and New York, Mac- 



