NOTES AND LITEKATUEE 



DISTRIBUTION AND ORIGIN OF LIFE IN AMERICA 1 



The aim and scope of Scharff's very welcome book is well 

 stated in his own closing words (p. 435) : "I have endeavored 

 in this work to show how the gradual evolution of our continents 

 and the former changes of land and water can be demonstrated 

 by a study of the geographical distribution of living animals 

 and plants. Whenever possible I have taken advantage of our 

 paleontological and geological knowledge in furtherance of this 

 object, and I venture to think that I have succeeded in unravel- 

 ing some intricate problems of the paleogeography of America. 

 Indirectly I have thus been able to indicate the manner in 

 which North and South America became populated and the ex- 

 tent to which these continents took part in supplying animals and 

 plants to other regions of the world." Scharff has certainly 

 done all this and much more besides. Never before has a book 

 upon zoogeography appeared culling and collating the thoughts 

 and observations of such a host of investigators. The fact that 

 his evidence comes not only from practically every group of the 

 animal kingdom, but very often from plants as well, make the 

 deductions far more convincing, radical as they often are, than 

 they would ever be otherwise. Extensive as is the bibliography, 

 there are still a few unfortunate omissions, and some typograph- 

 ical errors mar an otherwise excellent piece of** press-work. In 

 the second edition, which can not but appear, the use of titles 

 would wisely be omitted. The words "Professor," "Dr." and 

 "Mr." are used in a rather promiscuous manner. They are not 

 always judiciously bestowed. 



The fifteen chapters take up the study of the fauna of the 

 hemisphere, beginning af the north with Greenland and proceed- 

 ing southward. 



In Chapter I the relation of the fauna of Greenland to both 

 Europe and America is convincingly dealt with and Scharff's 

 first excellent map shows the Pliocene bridge which extended 

 from Great Britain through the Orkneys and Iceland to Green- 

 land and on across to Arctic America. In this chapter the ques- 



New York, The Macmillan^o., 1912. Pp. viii + 497, 21 maps. 



500 



