228 Analyses of Books. [April, 
embryology of the principal groups are accurately and clearly 
expounded and well illustrated. There are no fewei than 
702 woodcuts, well executed and taken from the fiist authonties, 
such as Kolliker, Gegenbaur, Balfour, Hyrtl, &c. 
As regards the geographical distribution of animals it would, 
in our opinion, have been well if the author had adopted the 
system of Wallace and Sclater instead of giving such localities 
as the “ New World,” the “ Old World,” &c. Thus, under the 
Psittacidse, we read, “ Most of the parrots belong to America.^ 
Had Prof. Claus written “ belong to the Neo-tropical Region 
he would have obviated a possible misinterpretation. 
Upon the whole, however, as far as can be judged from the 
volume before us, we must pronounce the woik an admirable 
exposition of modern zoology. 
Dismissing now the author and the subjed- matter, we must 
turn for a moment to the translators and to the language em- 
ployed. There has latterly been manifested, both in Biitain and 
in America, a tendency to overload zoological works with unne- 
cessary technical terms, of Greek and of Latin origin. This, 
we submit, is much to be regretted. It can no longei be 
assumed, as was perhaps the case a century ago, that evety 
student of Natural Science is a classical scholar. On the con- 
trary, the separation between these two spheres of study is daily 
widening. Why, then, should such books as the one before us 
not be written in a.language intelligible to such as “ know little 
Latin and less Greek ” ? Technical terms we must have, but a 
very large proportion of them might be English, and conse- 
quently “ understanded of the people.” Let us take an example . 
we read here that the Insessores are “ usually divided, according 
to their vocal apparatus, into two orders the singing birds, 01 
Oscines, and the shrieking birds, or Clamatores. Why not 
simply say “ singers ” or “ shriekers ” ? Again, with reference 
to the different state of development of birds when hatched, it 
is here written that some “ at once follow the mother on land 
or into the water (praecoces) ; others leave the egg-membranes 
very early (altrices). 5 ’ Now what extenuation is theie foi the 
coinage of the terms “ praccoces ” and “ altrices, when “ nest- 
quitters ” and nest-sitters ” would have expiessed the fads much 
more precisely? The horrible terms “ aidiodach late and 
“ perissodadylate ” might in like manner be advantageously 
superseded by “even-toed” and “odd-toed. I he moie we 
make the natural sciences matters of verbal memory, the more 
do we impair their educational value. 
