Bibliographical Notices. '^ 



Crinoidea, in which the authors give a general review of the phases 

 in the history of this family, and a summary of the various opinions 

 as to their affinities and classification which have been suggested by 

 the principal writers on the subject. A valuable list is also given, 

 arranged in chronological order, of the works, memoirs and papers 

 of the naturalists who have alluded to the Crinoidea, from the * De 

 Natura Fossilium' of Agricola in 1558 to the present time, and which 

 includes no less a number of publications than 346 ! One would 

 have little thought that this almost palaeozoic dynasty should have 

 met with so many complimentary inquiries ; fortunately for them, 

 their " his f aire" has been protected by better conservators than those 

 in one of our public departments, where, it has been stated, some 

 valuable historical documents have been carelessly disposed of by 

 those who had them in charge ! 



If however the Crinoidea have had a copious literature, they have 

 aot been so fortunate in their generic names, as is evidenced by the 

 ise of such words as Gilbertsocrinus, Hallocrinus, and Woodocrinus, 

 I system commenced by Phillips, adopted by D'Orbigny, and fol- 

 ■owed by De Koninck. Surely those naturalists who have studied 

 md deciphered the organic structure of these remains, and been thus 

 ed to regard these forms as distinct from the cognate genera, 

 night have suggested generic names more consistent with, and 

 expressive of, their true characters, than many of the mongrel 

 words that have been assigned to members of this family. No 

 vonder the classical scholar repudiates the natural-history nomen- 

 ilaturist or modern wordmonger for fossil genera and species. Fol- 

 lowing out the idea as above noticed, we should not be surprised to 

 hear of some new American Crinoid with the happy cognomen of 

 Unclesambocrinus. 



In other departments of paleeozoology it would not more excite 

 our astonishment to hear of such names as Grayoconcha, Gouldornis, 

 or Owenotherium, terms which, if unappropriated at present, are 

 quite at the service of the incipient palaeontologist who despairs of 

 finding explicative terms for generic groups. Nor is the species- 

 maker blameless. To say nothing of the goodnatured intent of 

 those who name species and varieties after great men and their 

 friends — and indeed we wonder we have not yet heard of a Trilobites 

 Albertianus, — we think it a proper subject for animadversion, that 

 the species already rejoicing in good personal appellations should, on 

 account of their less worthy relations, have their patronymic degraded 

 by the prefix *' sub,'' as we see in the Terebratula sub-Bentleyi, 

 Ammonites sub-Ba/cerice, Sic. 



In the chapter on the general considerations of the Crinoidea, the 

 authors have given some details respecting the classification, struc- 

 ture and organization of these bodies, and have discussed the prin- 

 ciples of nomenclature as applied to the different parts, as well as 

 suggested a more easy and consistent notation for the different pieces 

 forming the calyx or terminal part. 



Appended to the memoir is a description of a new genus of Cri- 



