180 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1890. 



work, with a few additions to bring it up to date, and the fine engrav- 

 ing left out for economy's sake. It is, however, worth noting that in 

 this last work Dr. Day has finally abandoned the old classification in 

 which the sharks, saw-fishes, and skates were taken as the lowest 

 fishes, and has put them at the top of his list. 



The ichthyology of India gave no opportunity for discussing the 

 claims of Lepidosiren and Cemtodus to this position, because we have not 

 yet found either here. And, as Dr. Day wrote within narrow limits 

 of space, and the Editor admits having squeezed his literary bones 

 in their coffin, we shall not soon know his opinion on this point. 



It had been an act of grace in Mr. Blanford, in such a case, to 

 have refrained from what he calls " additional compression. " 

 There are some of us would rather he had put the screw on the 

 Mammals. He has no excuse for referring us for the " limits of the 

 area " to the half volume of Mammals already published. For he 

 had three-quarters of a page to give them in, which is now blank ; 

 and manjr people will buy a whole book of fishes who will not buy 

 a quarter book of mammals. 



The references to "Mr. F. Day, C. I. E., Deputy Surgeon-Gene- 

 ral," are in a rather stupid style of official pedantry. " Dr. Day " died 

 " Dr. Day" not merely by courteous custom, but by the law of his 

 country, and so he was rightly addressed and quoted, in speech 

 and in black and white. Requiescat in pace. It will be long till the 

 Fishes of India look upon his like again ; — and vice-versa. 



The man who has these two volumes, Lieut. Beavan's " Fresh 

 Water Fishes of India" and Mr. Thomas's "Rod in India" — has 

 the Indian fisherman's library. If he wants more, he can look out 

 for the second (Dr. Day's own) edition of his great work, and 

 these four books, judiciously interleaved and annotated, will last 

 him his lifetime. 



These two volumes on Fishes have been first noticed of the 

 " Fauna," because they are the only complete part of it yet issued. 



The Editor himself opened the ball with a paper bound " half 

 volume " on the Mammals. This is nearly two years old now, and as 

 yet there is no sign of the second half volume. We wish people 

 would call volumes volumes, and not " half volumes." 



The instalment, however, has conspicuous merits. To begin with 



