1919.] 
Reviews and Abstracts. 
409 
also by bis constant references to the many beautiful flower forms that 
abound in these Islands, and by the numerous characteristic and often 
beautiful photographs, mostly his own taking, that illustrate the book. 
The writer cannot speak as a botanist ; but it may be permissible in 
a layman to appreciate the work of genius, more especially when the subject 
is dealt with in so lucid and interesting manner that the layman, in reading, 
is almost persuaded he may know something of the matter, and is quite 
persuaded it were good to know more. J. C. A. 
A Review of the Albatrosses, Petrels, and Diving Petrels, by L. M. 
Loomis, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, vol. 2, pt. 2, No. 12, 187 pp., 
17 pi., 1918. 
This paper, which forms part of the scientific report of the Expedition 
of the California Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, deals 
particularly with the birds of that group, but gives a great amount of 
information of interest to ornithologists in New Zealand, including a historical 
sketch of our knowledge of albatrosses and petrels, an account of the 
geographical distribution, and a discussion of migration and variation. In 
discussing the subspecies question, the author remarks that it has served a 
highly useful purpose in revealing to ornithologists geographical variation, 
which is a variation within the limits of the species; but he considers that 
the subspecies theory has outlived its usefulness and should be discarded. 
As regards geographical distribution, two super-areas are recognized—the 
Northern, including all Northern Hemisphere seas, exclusive of the Gala¬ 
pagos Islands, and the Southern, including the Southern Hemisphere waters, 
with the Galapagos Islands. The Southern super-area is divided into three 
areas—the Circumpolar, the Indo-Pacific, and the South Atlantic ; and it 
is interesting to observe that New Zealand, including Stewart Island and 
Chatham Islands, falls into the Indo-Pacific area, while the subantarctic 
islands of New Zealand belong to the Circumpolar area. Within the areas 
there are again subareas, one of which is formed by New Zealand, with nine¬ 
teen species, and another by the Kermadecs, with seven species; while the 
Macquarie subarea of the Circumpolar area, with fifteen species, embraces 
the Macquarie, Campbell, Auckland, Antipodes, Snares, and Bounty Islands. 
Five species only are common to the New Zealand and Macquarie subareas. 
The albatrosses and petrels exemplify every cardinal aspect of bird- 
migration, including some phases that are wanting in birds whose lives are 
more intimately connected with the land. The author believes that the 
causes of bird-migration are ascertainable facts and not impenetrable 
mysteries lying beyond the domain of scientific inquiry, and he is very 
severe on tc the magic words 4 sense of direction,’ 4 instinct,’ ‘ inherited but 
unconscious experience.’ ” He maintains—(1.) That bird-migration had its 
origin in the evolution of the seasons, and that it is now the adjustment 
of the bird population to the seasons. (2.) That a large part of migration 
occurs independently of an immediate failure of food ; that inheritance 
involves at most an innate desire for travel; that the young learn to 
migrate through the example of the adults ; that the adults are guided 
by physical phenomena over areas that experience has rendered familiar ; 
that 'migration in its finality becomes in each bird an impelling habit ; 
therefore a bird that has passed the stage of dependency migrates because 
it was born of a race of migrants, and has followed the example of its elders 
until migration has become second nature J. A. T. 
