60 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VorL. XXXV. 
field. Mr. Miller's Key gives at once a bird'seye view of the 
scene, and directs the inquirer where further information may be 
obtained. 
The geographical scope of the work includes *the entire mam- 
malian fauna of the Atlantic slope of North America north of the 
southern boundary of the upper austral zone," or the Atlantic slope 
from Hudson Bay to the southern boundary of what is commonly 
known as the * Carolinian Fauna." The Mississippi drainage area 
is thus wholly excluded. A brief introduction defines the life zones 
of the region and the plan of the Key, followed by a synopsis, giving 
a classified list of the higher groups, species and subspecies. Then 
comes the Key proper, supplying diagnoses of all the groups from 
class to subspecies, subfamilies and subgenera excepted. Under 
each species and subspecies are given “references to (1) the first 
publication of the specific or subspecific name, (2) first use of the 
binomial or trinomial combination, and (3) a recent monographic 
paper in which the form is described in detail.. . . The type 
locality is given in parenthesis after the first reference. The 
accented syllable of all technical names is marked by an accent; 
and the derivation of each name is placed in parenthesis at the end 
of the diagnosis.” A paragraph, in larger type, follows the diag- 
nosis, giving the distribution of the species or subspecies under 
consideration. The Key is thus intended to give the correct nomen- 
clature for all the forms treated, with a clue to their identification, 
and a brief statement of their geographical ranges, generally indi- 
cated by a reference to the * life zone ” they inhabit. This admirable 
brochure is thus what it claims to be, a “key " to the subject, and an 
aid to the acquisition of further information. That the work was 
greatly needed, has been well done, and will prove a “boon” to 
seekers of knowledge in this field, it is needless to further affirm. 
The Key was originally planned to form part of Mr. Miller’s 
recently published “ Preliminary List of the Mammals of New 
York” (see American Naturalist, April, 190o, 
“soon grew to the proportions of an independent paper,” and was 
finally extended to include a larger area. The Key, we regret to 
see, repeats the few errors of nomenclature of the list, to one of 
which attention has already been called in this journal (Ze. cit., 
P. 318), namely, the highly questionable basis of the specific name 
" americanus ” for the Virginia deer. Another case is the use of the 
specific name * hudsonica Desmarest ” (1803) for the otter. As we 
have already shown (Bull, Amer. Mus. Nat Hist, Vol. X, 1898, 
pp. 316-318), but 
