264 
‘The spring near Orange, N.J.,’ for instance, 
renders the peculiar mistiness and indefinite- 
ness of a New Jersey landscape at that time 
of the year with considerable truth. The fas- 
cination of a new process of reproduction 
makes one eager to extend it to all subjects; 
and it is only after a long period of compari- 
son that one can get far enough away from this 
fascination to obtain clear judgment of the 
possibilities of the method. He who discovers 
for himself the possibilities of a pot of red 
paint in decorative art is at first apt to apply 
the paint to every thing. 
The wood-engraver and the etcher have 
nothing to fear at present from the various 
lithographic and photolithographic processes, 
save in the cheap market. ‘The various gela- 
tine processes must necessarily intensify the 
want of half-lights which is a characteristic of 
many photographs, and must obliterate even 
the faint differences in the degree of darkness 
of shadows which the original photograph may 
show. 
Heliotypes and similar processes stand in 
the same relation to the pictures they reproduce 
that music-boxes stand to the performance by 
the musician of the piece of music they strive 
to reproduce. ‘The delicacy and freedom of 
the original performance is lost. ‘This cannot 
be said of wood-engraving and etching. The 
wood-engravings and etchings in this catalogue 
are superior to the other methods of reproduc- 
tion, and show a capacity for interpreting the 
sentiment and the skill of the artist, even to 
the extent, sometimes, of improving on the 
originals of which they are the reproductions. 
The progress of one’s art-culture is generally 
from photographs to engravings, and from en- 
gravings to etchings; and a half-hour’s study 
of this illustrated catalogue would hasten one’s 
culture in this generally accepted way. 
YARROW’S CHECK-LIST OF AMERICAN 
REPTILES. 
Check-list of North-American Reptilia and Batrachia ; 
with catalogue of specimens in U.S. national mu- 
seum. By H. C. Yarrow, M.D. Washington, 
Government, 1883. (Bull. U.S. nat. mus., 24.) 8 
+ 249 p. 8°. 
In this catalogue are included the names of 
three hundred and thirty-seven species and 
sub-species of reptiles, and one hundred and 
thirty batrachians, found in North America 
north of Cape San Lucas and Key West. The 
SCIENCE. 
wholly profitless. task. 
;, fe. es 
[Vou. IIL, No. 56. 
trinomial system of expressing the variations 
of widely distributed and variable species is 
adopted, as in the recent check-lists of birds ; 
and the sub-species are numbered with the 
species. Each species and sub-species has been 
furnished with an ‘ English’ name, although 
very few of them have any distinctive vernacu- 
lar appellation in fact. ‘The author observes, 
that to the task of ascertaining the English 
names in actual use has been added ‘‘ the very 
laborious one of translating as literally as possi- 
ble some of the polysyllable Greek and Latin 
names.’’ This, it seems to us, has been a 
It is no gain to any 
one to call Amblystoma jeffersonianum pla- 
tineum the ‘slender salamander,’ while the 
related Batrachoseps attenuatus is the ‘ slender 
lizard.’ Nor is it evident why most, but not 
all, of the species of Plethodon, are called 
‘lizards,’ while those of related genera are 
chiefly ‘ tritons’ or ‘salamanders.’ Hemidac- 
tylium scutatum, although in no proper sense 
a lizard, and not scaly, is called the ‘scaly 
lizard,’ instead of the ‘shielded little half-toe,’ 
as its name would imply. Perhaps these Eng- 
lish names of Dr. Yarrow are as good as any 
other set of made-up vernacular names; but, 
if so, it is time to protest against the whole 
business. Scientific names themselves are suf- 
ficiently trying without this additional incu- 
bus. | 
The classification and nomenclature of Dr. 
Yarrow’s list is essentially that of the check- 
list of Professor Cope. Several additions have 
been made, and a few changes of name; most 
of the latter being in the group of turtles, and 
due to the studies of Mr. F. W. True. Some 
further changes in nomenclature must take 
place; as the substitution (already suggested 
by M. Boulenger) of ‘ Cryptobranchus’ for 
‘Menopoma,’ of ‘ Necturus maculatus’ for ‘ N. 
lateralis,’ and the suppression of the generic 
name ‘ Muraenopsis,’ pre-occupied among the 
eels. . 
After the check-list, follows a list of the speci- 
mens of each species in the National museum. 
This list is of very high importance as a con- 
tribution to our exact knowledge of the geo- 
graphical distribution of species, and is, in fact, 
the raison d’étre of the whole memoir. ‘The 
bulletin is completed with a list of species 
desired by the museum, and with full index to 
scientific and vernacular names of species, and 
to the localities and names of persons men- 
tioned. 
