xvin SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



Catalogue of the Fossil Cephalopoda in the British Museum (Natural 

 History). By Arthur H. Foord and George Charles Crick. Part 

 iii. London: Printed by order of the Trustees, 1897. 



Catalogue of the Tertiary Mollusca in the Department of Geology, 

 British Museum (Natural History). Part i., The Australasian 

 Tertiary Mollusca. By George F. Harris. London: Printed by 

 order of the Trustees, 1897. 



Specialists will welcome the appearance of two more volumes deal- 

 ing with the extensive collections of P'ossil Mollusca in the British 

 Museum. The third part of the catalogue of fossil Tetrabranchiate 

 Cephalopoda treats of a family of the Nautiloidea which had not found 

 a place in the first two parts, as well as of the first instalment of the 

 Ammonoidea. The authors agree with Haug in abandoning Fischer's 

 subdivision of the Ammonoidea into Retrosiphonata and Prosiphonata. 

 The classification of the Goniatites adopted is based on that proposed 

 by Prof. Alpheus Hyatt, and the suture lines characteristic of the indi- 

 vidual species are illustrated by cuts in the text which will prove in- 

 valuable for the identification of specimens by those who are unable to 

 obtain access to the types. It is a matter for congratulation that Dr. 

 Foord has found such an able collaborateur and successor in the person 

 of Mr. G. C. Crick. 



Mr. G. F. Harris's catalogue is to be the first of a series devoted to 

 the fossil faunas of special geographical regions ; dealing as it does 

 with the tertiary mollusca of Australia and New Zealand, with Tas- 

 mania and the Chatham Islands, it will supply the student of distribu- 

 tion with a store of facts which will be of the greatest service to him in 

 solving the problem of the past history of the present molluscan fauna. 

 A prominent feature of the work is that the author has devoted especial 

 attention to the growth of shells. The very remarkably perfect state of 

 preservation of the gasterpoda of Victoria and elsewhere has enabled 

 him to show that in many cases distinct modifications of structural 

 detail are mere peculiarities of stages of growth, and are not necessarily 

 of classificatory value. In the introduction the reader's attention is 

 drawn to a few of the more interesting points; but it is a pity that no 

 indication is given to the new names and new species which appear in 

 the work ; an asterisk affixed to the names in the index or table of 

 contents would have been of great assistance to the reader or recorder 

 who is desirous of ascertaining the exact contributions which the author 

 considers that he has made to scientific nomenclature. Of great value 

 are the eight excellent plates of illustrations drawn by Miss G. M. 

 Woodward. 



Lehrbuch der vcrgleichenden Mirkroskopischen Anatomie der Wir- 

 belthiere. ifweite Teil. Schlund und Darm. Von Dr. A. Oppel, 

 a.o. Professor a.d. Universtat Feiburg i. B. Jena : Gustav 

 Fischer, 1897. 



During the last two decades discovery concerning the anatomy, 

 histology and functions of the vertebrate alimentary system has 



