12 THE NAUTILUS. 



for his publications on entomology and author of valuable work on 

 malacology, encouraged his well-developed inclination for zoological 

 studies. At the age of twenty-three he was appointed conservator 

 of the fine Oberthur entomological collection at Rennes. This posi- 

 tion not promising material success, he returned to Marseilles, where 

 he studied law, and obtained his diploma in 1885. He then entered 

 the government administration in Algeria ; was married in 1889, 

 and the same year was appointed deputy administrator, and filled 

 successively positions at Fort National, Boghari and Dra-el Mizan. 

 After thirteen years spent in that locality he was promoted to acting 

 administrator at Mascara. It was a just reward for his great quali- 

 fications and for the esteem which he had been able to win amidst 

 duties that were frequently of a difficult character. 



Mr. Ancey hoped shortly to fill a State mission to the Cape Verde 

 Islands, which was sure to furnish opportunities for malacological 

 studies. After a brief illness he died at Mascara, October 10, 1906. 

 His death was a painful surprise to his scientific correspondents. 



Most of his writings were on conchology, and his many papers, 

 some 140 in all, give an idea of the importance of his work, devoted 

 principally to the malacological fauna of Hawaii, Central Africa, 

 Polynesia, Central Asia, etc. He was especially interested in the 

 study of the smaller land shells, of which he had a large collection. 

 As his appointment to Mascara promised to be permanent, he ex- 

 pected to be able to work up his large accumulation of undetermined 

 species, still packed just as he had received them. It was his pur- 

 pose some day to study the land mollusks of Algeria ; although 

 thoroughly competent for the work, he hesitated to undertake it on 

 account of the difficulties arising from the many doubtful species, 

 which made the study of the Algerian fauna a most ungrateful task. 



Mr. Ancey is authority for many generic or subgeneric names, 

 among which may be mentioned : Boysidia, Parabal/a, Haplotrema, 

 Pseudomphalus, Monomphalus, Micromphalia, Platystoma, Rhytidi- 

 opsis, Pararhytida, Microphyurtt, Ochroderma, Tomoste/e, Mabilliella, 

 Thomsonia, Lechaptoisia, Thacmumia, Baldwinia and Armandiella. 

 The genus Anceyia was dedicated to him by Bourguignat. Re- 

 markably gifted and thoroughly acquainted with the bibliography of 

 the subject, he leaves behind him work which marks a real progress 

 in our knowledge of the terrestrial mollusks. His untimely death is 

 a great loss to science. 



