956 Recent Literature. [September, — 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
HAECKEL’s Visir TO Ceyton..—The author is widely known 
for his popular works on biology and anthropology, and for his 
richly illustrated folios and quartos treating of Protozoans and 
Hydroids, as well as for his radical dogmatic views as an evolu- 
tionist and philosopher, but he now comes before the public asa 
charming narrator and most appreciative observer of nature in her 
broader aspects. This little book thus reveals a new side of the 
gifted author’s mind, and one which does much credit to the Jena 
professor. yee 
The impressions and sketches of tropical nature here recorded 
were obtained during a residence of nearly four months in Cey- 
lon, and will be valuable as affording, from a fresh standpoint, 
views of tropical life and nature. Humboldt and Bates have — 
given us pictures of Brazilian nature; Darwin has described the — 
western slopes of the South American Cordilleras and the pam- — 
pas, and Wallace has painted the gorgeous scenery of the Indian — 
archipelago, while Hooker has drawn vivid sketches of the Indian 
flora and Himalayan scenery and animated nature, and now 
Haeckel has added a series of word-pictures of the Ceylon coast 
and highlands, their vegetation and animal life, which formsa — 
fitting companion to the classical volumes which have preceded 
hi 
S. BiR 
Haeckel has afforded us vivid conceptions of the aspects of the i 
Indian ocean and its life along the coast of Ceylon ; of the dn 
vigorous and magnificent forests mantling the shores e this 
favored island, as well as the primeval forests and scenery 9f ™ 
Cinghalese highlands, the haunts of the wild elephant, great gra 
ape and the Russa-deer, or elk. 
record in enthus!- 
i f the tropical forest, 
cialist in botany. o 
While we are treated to valuable and fresh descriptions in not 
coral reefs of Ceylon, Haeckel was somewhat disappointed pee 
finding more peculiar and new forms of marine life. © © 
explains the reason: rticularly 
“The extended research of the last twenty years, a s more 
the results of the Challenger expedition, have convince ge 
and more that the living creatures of the different secret 
by a long way, so dissimilar as the terrestrial fauna oa 
ent continents. My experience in Belligam affor ae 
of this. I found there, indeed, a considerable number of BET ' 
1 A Visit to Ceylon. By Exnst Haxcket. Translated by CLARA ee 
ton, S. E. Cassino & Co., 1883. 12mo, pp- 337. <r 
