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Annual of Scientific Discovery; or, Year Book of Facts in Science and Art for 1865, exhibiting the most important Discoveries and Improvements in Mechanics, Useful Arts, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Astronomy, Meteorology, Zoology, Botany. Mineralogy, Geology, Geography, Antiquities, etc. together with Notes on the Progress of Science during 1864; a List of recent Scientific Publications; Obituaries of eminent Scientific Men; etc. Edited by DAVID A. WELLS, A.M., M.D. 12mo. cloth, pp. 355. Boston, 1865 78 6d.

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Cassin.-Mammalogy and Ornithology of the United States Exploring Expedition under Captain WILKES, U.S.N., during 1839-42. By JOHN CASSIN. Text 1 Vol. 4to. pp. viii. 466. Atlas in folio, containing 53 Coloured Plates. £8.8.8.

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Girard.-Herpetology of the United States Exploring Expedition under Captain WILKES, during 1829-46. By CHARLES GIRARD. Text 1 vol. 4to. Atlas in folio. £6. 68.

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PRE-HISTORIC TIMES; as Illustrated by Ancient Remains

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Zoophytes and the History of their Development. By the Rey. Thos. HINCKS, of Leeds.

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Kölliker's Lowest Forms of Life, (Review).

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LETTER TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MU.

ASEUM, on the Condition of the National Collection of Invertebrata. By

PHILOCOSMOS.

London: ROBERT HARDWICKE, 192, Piccadilly.

In July.

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THE

NATURAL HISTORY REVIEW:

A

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE.

Reviews and Notices.

XXVI. THE ZOOLOGY OF BRITISH INDIA.

(1.) CATALOGUE OF THE MAMMALIA IN THE MUSEUM OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL. By Edward Blyth, Curator, Calcutta, 1863.

(2.) THE BIRDS OF INDIA, BEING A NATURAL HISTORY OF ALL BIRDS KNOWN TO INHABIT CONTINENTAL INDIA. By T. C. Jerdon, Surgeon-Major, Madras Army. 3 vols. 8vo. Calcutta, 1862-4.

(3.) THE REPTILES OF BRITISH INDIA. By Dr. Albert Günther. London, 1864. Published for the Ray Society, by Robert Hardwicke.

HAVING already spoken of the Mammals and Birds of British India in two former articles upon this subject, we shall on the present occasion confine our remarks to the Reptiles of the same country, as treated of by Dr. Günther in the volume recently issued by the Ray Society. But before we commence to speak of Dr. Günther's valuable work, a few words may be devoted to the Society which has published it. A recent writer in the "Athenæum," which affects to consider itself a scientific journal, while acknowledging the merits of Dr. Günther's volume, takes the Council of the Ray Society soundly to task for having published it. It is alleged that Dr. Günther's work is of such a character that any ordinary London publisher would have undertaken it, and that it therefore falls within the operation of one of the rules of the Ray Society which enacts that works of this kind shall not be published by that Society. To those who have the slightest acquaintance with London publishers and the general style of their dealings with the authors of scientific works, it is unnecessary to say anything in reply to this. But the facts are, we believe,

that the author of the " Reptiles of British India" never for a moment entertained the idea of offering the work to a London publisher-being well aware that it would not have been accepted, except upon the terms of his paying the expenses of its production. Even in the case of British Zoology it is hard enough to find a publisher who will undertake a strictly scientific work, and as regards the Zoology of Foreign countries we are not aware of the phenomenon of a "London publisher" willing to venture his capital on such an unsaleable article having ever occurred. Such works are invariably produced either at the cost of the authors themselves, usually at a considerable sacrifice, or by the assistance of a grant from some Government fund or other external means. So far, therefore, from the Council of the Ray Society meriting any censure for their publication of Dr. Günther's work, we consider that they deserve the greatest credit for having undertaken it. It has long been a national scandal that so little pains have been taken to make use of the great opportunities enjoyed by our countrymen in India for producing a complete scientific survey of that country. The Ray Society have already issued many very valuable works, but we believe that, as regards the progress of zoological science, they have never presented to their subscribers and to the public a more important volume than the "Reptiles of British India."

Although Dr. Günther has adopted the "Reptiles of British India" as a title for his work, as being based on collections "mainly brought together within British dominions or in countries under British protection," he has included in it notices of all the species of this group of animals found within the limits of the adjacent southeastern corner of the Asiatic Continent. "The fauna of Burmah, Siam, Cochin-China, and Southern China" forms, he observes, "a natural unity with that of India proper." In order to point out where the Reptilian fauna of the Indian continent becomes intermingled with forms properly belonging to other regions, he has likewise included what is known of the Reptiles of Afghanistan, Tibet, and Southern China. In a few cases, such as the curious flying Lizards of the genus Draco and the Hydrophiida, or sea-serpents, he has gone still further, and introduced into his work complete monographic essays upon the whole of the known species of the group.

In the large alcoholic collection of the British Museum under his own charge, Dr. Günther found an invaluable series of types of species described by authors in this country since the time of Russell.

In 1860,

Amongst these may be noticed as of primary importance the types of the species described by Dr. Gray in his catalogues of the Reptiles in the National Collection, and in other publicationsamounting to upwards of one hundred in number. There was likewise a large accumulation of unnamed specimens. the entire collection of Reptiles belonging to the late East Indian Company was transferred to the National Collection, and its treasures were thereby greatly augmented. Dr. Günther has likewise enjoyed free access to the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, of the University of Oxford, and to other scientific institutions where typical specimens of Indian Ophiology are preserved, besides having received valuable assistance in the shape of notes and drawings from Mr. Walter Elliot, Mr. Hodgson, Capt. Beddome, and other wellknown Indian Naturalists. Yet, with all these advantages, it must not be supposed that his task was an easy one. To arrange and describe some 500 species of animals of any order, cannot be in any case otherwise than a work of great labour. But this labour was greatly increased in the present case by the absolute novelty of the subject-no previous attempt having ever been made to give even a general sketch of the Herpetology of South-eastern Asia. Moreover, many of the actually named species of the Indian Reptilian Fauna have been so inaccurately and incompletely described, that they have been altogether omitted in general works on Herpetology, or included amongst the synonyms of other species. These it was necessary to re-discover and characterize anew, a task often presenting more difficulties than the description of absolutely new species.

With regard to the arrangement of the references to previous writers, introduced by Dr. Günther into the present work, we must also say a few words. While our author has carefully recorded all the different specific denominations under which each species has been described, he has omitted those in which the genus is simply altered. In reference to this point, we call particular attention to the following weighty observations, given by Dr. Günther, as embodying his reasons for adherence to this rule.

"Changes in the generic nomenclature are frequently ventured upon now-a-days in the most unscrupulous manner by persons who, "having seen only a small proportion of the species, copy the "delusive characters of their new genera from the original descrip "tions, and with these most slender materials attempt to break up