524 
REVIEWS. 
Antilles is Sphceriodactylus , of which eight species are West Indian. 
The rest are mostly Neotropical forms. The Crocodilians and Tortoises, 
as far as is hitherto known, are not represented in the Antilles by 
any very strongly marked forms. 
LY. —Annual Report oe the Trustees oe the Museum oe 
Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, U. S. A., together with 
the Report oe the Director, 1863. Boston, 1862. 
We have read with pleasure Professor Agassiz’s Report for the 
year 1862, of the state of the new Museum of Comparative Zoology 
at Cambridge, TJ. 8. A., whereby it appears that this youthful insti¬ 
tution is “ progressing,” at a pace that is likely ere long to place it 
in advance of many of the rival establishments of the Old World. 
“ Notwithstanding the distracted condition of the country,” says the 
learned and patriotic Professor, “ it is a source of great gratification to 
“ me, and a sign of the unimpaired activity of our merchants in all parts 
“ of the world, that I can announce the arrival during the past year 
“ on board of merchant-ships, and mainly through the liberality 
“ of gentlemen engaged in business, of no less than two hundred 
“ and thirty packages, barrels, cans, &c., filled with specimens from 
“ every quarter of the globe.” 
The class in which the new Museum seems to be richest is that of 
fishes, of which the enormous number of 100,000 specimens, represent¬ 
ing nearly 6000 species, are stated to be in the collection. Speaking 
of this, Professor Agassiz says : — 
“ Thus far the collection of fishes brought together in the Jardin 
“ des Plantes, by Cuvier and Valenciennes, has been considered the 
“ largest in existence, numbering about 4,200 species, according to a 
“‘ recent report by Professor Dumeril. Prom a recent article in 
“the ‘Natural History Review,’ of London, I see that the Curator of 
“ the British Museum claims now a superiority for their collection 
“ over that of Paris, stating that the former contains 20,000 speci- 
“ mens. The number of species is not given, but judging from Dr. 
“Gunther’s catalogue, as far as printed, the number of species can 
“hardly exceed that of the Jardin des Plantes. Our own collection 
“ numbers now 100,000 specimens, representing 6000 species, all pre- 
“ served in alcohol.” 
With regard to this, we may observe, that as regards the number 
of specimens of fishes, the Cambridge Museum unquestionably stands 
superior to any other, our National collection in the British 
Museum not being estimated to contain much more than 20,000 
specimens. But we believe there is little doubt that the British 
Museum collection is richer in species than that of the Jardin des 
Plantes of Paris. Dr. Gunther estimates the collection of fishes 
under his charge as containing between 5000 and 6000 species—it 
being impossible until the catalogue is finished to ascertain the 
