EEPTILIA. 
77 
REPTILIA 
BY 
Albert Gunther, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.S. 
The General Subject. Notes and FAUNiE. 
Darwin, C. The Descent of Man, and Selection in relation to 
Sex. London : 1871. 16mo, vol. i. pp. 423, vol. ii. pp. 475, 
with numerous woodcuts. 
Part of chapter xii. (pp. 24-87) contains the most complete 
account of the secondary sexual characters of Reptiles and Am- 
phibians that has ever been published. We shall refer in the 
special part of this Record to some of the facts which are not 
generally known, or which have been illustrated by Mr. Darwin. 
The author comes to the conclusion that sexual selection seems 
to have played almost as important a part among Reptiles as 
among Birds. But the less conspicuous colours of the females, 
in comparison with those of the males, cannot be accounted for, 
as in the case of birds, by the exposure of the females to danger 
during incubation. [Cf. sup7'a, pp. 1, 2, 25-27.] 
According to a statement by Dr. J. Anderson, the Indian 
Museum in Calcutta received 255 species during the last four and 
a half years ; they illustrate 113 genera, and number in all 
1768 specimens. J. A. S. B. 1871, p. 12. 
Great Britain. Mammalia and Reptilia of Norfolk,^^ by T. 
Southwell. Zoologist, 1871, pp. 2751-2760. A paper of local 
interest. 
Luxemburg. A. de la Fontaine gives an accoimt of the Rep- 
tiles and Amphibians of Luxemburg — 2 Tortoises (extinct), 4 
Lizards, 6 Snakes, 14 Batrachians. Public, de FInstit. de 
Luxemb. xi. pp. 49-91. 
Pomerania. " Die Wirbelthiere Pommerns,^^ by T. Holland. 
Stolp : 1871. 8vo, pp. 119. The author enumerates 6 Reptiles 
and 12 Amphibians. A work of local interest. 
