Abstract
THIS important work is, perhaps, the most successful attempt that has yet been made to bring within the reach of the lay reader a general account of the past history of the mammalia, a history for the reconstruction of which a vast amount of material is now available. It may be regretted that the author has found it necessary to confine his work to the mammals of the Western Hemisphere, but since the successive faunas inhabiting' that region, particularly the northern half, are far better known than those of the Old World, none of the main lines along which evolution has proceeded within the group is left without adequate illustration. The much greater degree of completeness of our knowledge of the mammals of the New World is not merely due to the occurrence there of a more nearly continuous series of mammal-bearing tertiary deposits, but also to the systematic collecting that has been carried out, both in the north and south, by expeditions organised by the museums and universities. Prof. Scott has himself led such expeditions on several occasions.
A History of Land Mammals in the Western Hemisphere.
By Prof. W. B. Scott. Pp. xiv + 693. (New York: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1913.) Price 21s. net.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
A., C. A History of Land Mammals in the Western Hemisphere . Nature 93, 553 (1914). https://doi.org/10.1038/093553a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/093553a0