A Manual of Land and Fresh Water Vertebrate Animals of the United States (exclusive of Birds)

Book excerpt: The naturalist frequently finds that to learn to identify species is a most difficult task, and yet nothing is more important to his work. He finds that species are not separated merely on shape and colour, but on structural peculiarities which frequently are connected with particular habits. This is especially the case in vertebrate animals, which in Great Britain, with its very limited number of forms, may be identified in a haphazard manner by elimination. This is impossible in a country where different climatic areas interdigitate and where there are many species, as the United States, which for the purpose of the naturalist is a continent. Here Prof. H. S. Pratt ?fills the bill ?by his ?Vertebrate Animals of the United States,? which, however, omits birds. A short account of each group is given, the anatomical features dividing it up into sub-groups and families being usually illustrated. Where neces-sary, special features for families are described and then follow keys to the genera, descriptions of the same and keys to their species. The whole closes with a good bibliography and a glossary of technical terms. The short descriptions of each species, with mention of their geographical distributions and habitats, are excellent, and the tabulation of the sub-species most useful. We learn that there are about 600 species of freshwater fishes, 70 of newts and 61 of frogs and toads we are given a key by which their tadpoles and eggs can be identified-300 reptiles and a wide series of mammals belonging to 9 orders. We characterise this publication as a book for ready reference, such as should be on the shelves of all American naturalists.