268 



NATURAL SCIENCE. 



Al'RIL, 1895. 



indeterminable species. But the glaring instances in which he makes 



ignorance, however unavoidable, the standard of what should be 



retained and what should be dismissed, must materially detract from 



our faith in his decisions where he has had the means of speaking with 



well-grounded authority. To have accomplished successfully all that 



he boldly attempts would probably have required many more years 



than he was at liberty to bestow upon the task. In this matter of 



classification one cannot help regretfully reflecting how much more he 



might have done had he been content to do much less. In many 



other respects his volumes are exceedingly valuable. The attribution 



of the long-time obscure Acanthonotus novdmannii of Milne Edwards 



to the genus Ampelisca is a signal instance of Delia Yalle's acuteness. 



He gives a particularly important and original chapter on the 



deposition and fecundation of the eggs of the Amphipoda. He 



supplies, indeed, a whole library of lucid, and on the whole very 



accurate, information on the anatomy, development, and general 



biology of the Gammaridea, as well as a compendious bibliography 



interspersed with many useful observations. With such a work at his 



command the student of Amphipoda will find a flood of light thrown 



upon his researches. Those who have no previous knowledge of 



the subject can scarcely fail to have some interest in it awakened 



by the unexpected beauty of the coloured plates. It will be a strange 



thing if this department of nature can command attention and 



respect in Italy and yet continue to be slighted and disregarded 



in England. When the Zoological Station at Naples can afford 



to publish these noble volumes, it will be a strange thing if the 



self-respect of English naturalists can afford to ignore them. 



T. R. R. Stebbing. 

 Tunbridge Wells. 



