1883. | Recent Literature. 181 
classical antiquity ; we are simply putting ourselves on a level in 
point of taste with the Australians, Botocudos, and Negroes. 
We are taking fashion and nothing better, higher or truer, for 
our guide.” 
CATALOGUE OF THE BATRACHIA SALIENTIA OF THE BRITISH 
Museum. Seconp Epition.'—This most recent of the series of 
catalogues of the collection in the British Museum will prove in- 
valuable to batrachologists, who have long felt great need of such 
a condensation of their united labors. Since the issue of the 
first edition of this work,a great number of new forms have been 
discovered, and the British Museum collection has tripled in the 
number of specimens during the last twenty years. The classifi- 
cation followed is principally that of Cope—the Phaneroglossa 
are divided by their sternal characters into Firmisternia and 
Arcifera with their families, while the Aglossa are separated into 
the families Dactylethridz and Pipide. 
The Firmisternia include both the toothless and toothed forms 
with firmly united sternum, whilst the Arcifera are also made up 
of toothed and toothless forms, the presence or absence of teeth 
being considered subordinate to the characters drawn from the 
sternum. The group of Bufoniformia is thus not recognized. 
- The families adopted are almost entirely those of Cope, with the 
exception that the Scaphiopide and Pelodytidz are united with the 
Pelobatidæ. Two new families, the Dyscophidz and Amphignath- 
odontidge are defined by Mr. Boulenger, 
This is undoubtedly the best systematic work on the Batrachia 
anura yet published. We think the author, if a second edition 
is called for, will modify his work in the following respects: 
Firstly by the adoption of the genera characterized by the degree 
of ossification of the cranial bones. This will divide his Hyla into 
r genera, viz.: Hyla, Scytopis, Osteocephalus and Trachy- 
cephalus. It will introduce a number of genera of Cystignathide, 
and Strengthen the definitions of those already adopted. There 
'$ no sound reason for neglecting these characters, as they are 
quite as constant as any of those adopted by Mr. Boulenger, such 
as the palmation of the fingers and toes, the parotoid glands, etc. 
Secondly, he will robably adopt as a genus that form of Hylide 
Which has the pollex presént and represented by a sharp spine, 
which has been named by Brocchi, Ptectrohyla, but which is equi- 
_ Valent to Wagler’s long prior Hypsiboas, which name was use 
for it by Cope, who first defined the genus, 
ti ATERIAUX POUR L'HISTOIRE PRIMITIVE ET NATURELLE DE 
= +0MME.—This anthropological journal, published at Toulouse, 
Fance, under the direction of M. Emile Cartailhac, has now 
\Catalogue ae ri S e 
; Batrachia Salientia, s, Ecaudata, in the collection of the British 
Museum, ed iti ; í ‘ i 5 i s Pri ted 
order of the Tr ng GEORGE oer BOULENGER. London, n 
