Brehm's Thierleben

Abstract

THE three fine volumes of Natural History with the above titles form part of Brehm's well-known “Thierleben,” a book which has had a well-merited success in Germany and on the Continent generally. The volumes on the mammalia, of which those under consideration are new and enlarged editions, and which contain the Quadrumana, Chiroptera, Carnivora, Insectivora, Rodentia, Edentata, Marsupialia, and Monotremes, had been well appreciated in this country on account of its excellent illustrations, trustworthy anecdotes, and general literary merits. The new edition issued in 1876 surpasses the old, for not only are the additional and new drawings of first class art and most truthful, but much of the context is more decidedly scientific than before. Brehm, with his practical knowledge of animals, especially of some important groups, and his literary powers and judicious choice of illustrative anecdote, was just the man to undertake a popular natural history; and the success of the very bulky attempt not only is greatly to his credit, but is a testimony of the love of good reading amongst the mass of his countrymen. A familiarly written introduction on the structure and physiology of the Mammalia occcupies the first chapter, and then the Primates are considered. There are two plates of sitting, standing, jumping, climbing, and swinging Anthropomorpha which are exquisite, and evidently carefully taken from the life. The rare Troglodytes Tschiego, the Nsehiego mbouvé anatomised by Duvernay, is delineated in four attitudes, and the reach of the fingers below the knee is well shown; below it are three capital chimpanzees, but none of them equalling Wolf's admirable swinging chimpanzee in the possession of the Zoological Society of London, The orangs with their globular heads, projecting lips, and hirsute arms, are drawn with great force, and three gibbons, spidery and dangling, complete the show. A plate of hands and feet illustrates this part of the book, and the transition from the highest hand, probably that of T. tschiego, for it is more symmetrical than that of gorilla, to the lowest paw amongst the American marmosets is admirably shown. The dwindling of the thumb, the gradual equalisation in length of the three middle fingers, and the march first on the knuckles, and then, in the lower groups, on the palms are carefully demonstrated. Osteological anatomy is not much cared for, and therefore the skeleton of gorilla is not worthy of the book; but in the chapter on this great ape there are some very remarkable plates which enable us to approach the truth.

Die Säugethiere,

Dr. A. E. Brehm, 2 vols.; and Die Insekten, von Dr. E. Taschenberg, I vol. (Leipzig: Verlag des bibliographischen Instituts, 1877.