58 
JOUENAL OF MAMMALOGY 
The two volumes comprise a de luxe edition of beautiful and artistic colour 
plates with accompanying text, the treatment being designed more for the lay- 
man than for the systematic worker. Scientific names are given for all of the 
groups, from the order to the subspecies, although the trinomial is seldom em- 
ployed, while the common name is given the emphasis. The characters of each 
species, brought out in the text, are generally few and of such a nature as to be 
most readily discerned by the layman. 
The first volume takes up the Chiroptera and deals with twelve species, all 
of which are figured in the coloured plates. The greater horse-shoe bat is given 
some four pages of text, which serve as a preparation for the treatment of the 
order, but most of the other species are given less space. Accounts of habits, 
food and distribution make up the bulk of the text. 
The order Insectivora includes only five species, the hedgehog, mole, and 
three species of shrews. All five are portrayed in colour with a text treatment 
similar to that given to the bats. Fifteen species are taken up in the Carnivora, 
beginning with the wild cat and fox, including the walrus and six species of seals 
and concluding with the Mustelidse, the otter, badger, pine martin, polecat, 
stoat and weasel. Fourteen plates are given to this order and among these 
plates are some of the most effective of the two volumes. The text treatment 
seldom runs up to three pages, even the fox being allotted only a scant two and 
a half pages, while some of the seals are dismissed with a page. 
The first volume closes with two species of the Rodentia, the common squirrel 
and the common dormouse, each being given a plate. In the second volume this 
order is completed, with a total of nineteen species and in addition to the two 
plates of rodents in the first volume, eleven more are devoted to the order in this 
volume. Incidentally the author uses the blanket name M us to cover nine of 
the small rodents, taking under this genus the harvest mouse, wood mouse, com- 
mon mouse and brown rat. The text accompaniment varies from three and a 
half pages for the harvest mouse and the common hare to a scant page for the 
Orkney vole. The Ruminantia, with four species claim five plates and twenty 
pages of text. 
The second volume takes up the last order, the Cetacea, with twenty-one 
species, nine plates and forty-six pages of text. The treatment of the order begins 
with four pages of remarks on the order in general, dealing with points of struc- 
ture, measurements, food habits, classification, etc. The volume concludes with 
a few paragraphs upon mammals which have become extinct in the British Islands 
within historic times, the wolf, brown bear, beaver, reindeer and wild boar. 
An appendix gives additional data on the validity of the record of the occurrence 
of the walrus in the British mammalia. An index of four pages gives references 
under both scientific and common names. 
The volumes are very well gotten up, the paper is very heavy and the type 
large, the plates are upon the highest quality stock and in the arrangement 
throughout the artistic influence of the author is readily apparent. The text 
is largely compilation from other authors with no attempt at the introduction 
of original matter, its sole function apparently being to serve as the medium for 
a satisfactory interpretation of the author’s pleasing portrayals. 
— H. E. Anthony. 
