Bibliographical Notices. 55- 



organic remains ; and the science of Palaeontology has rapidly ad- 

 vanced, keeping pace with the researches of zoologists and botanists 

 devoted to the study of existing nature. 



Mr. Morris's * Catalogue' affords us the results of the numerous 

 examinations of the fossils of the British Islands, both by native and 

 foreign palaeontologists. These researches, scattered through nume- 

 rous works — periodical, monographic, and miscellaneous — were of 

 limited value until brought within the reach of geologists in such a 

 compendious form as the work now before us. 



However well acquainted one may be with the bibliography and 

 natural history of one or more groups of fossil creatures, whether 

 bivalves, cephalopods, fishes, or any other, — and however readily he 

 may exchange his knowledge with his fellow-workers in palaeontology 

 and give assistance to the practical geologist, yet, from the loss of 

 time in hunting up references and figures of fossils, — the uncertainty 

 of memory, — the mislaying of note-books, and a hundred other rea- 

 sons, we well know that geological work cannot satisfactorily proceed 

 without our having at hand a trustworthy book of reference to all 

 described and figured species of organic remains. 



Some ten years ago Mr. Morris produced such a work, thereby 

 supplying the want then felt, and which the partial lists of fossils 

 already compiled could not meet. Since 1843 geologists have ex- 

 tended their researches, both over new localities, and in parts of the 

 organic kingdom previously but little studied ; and an enormous in- 

 crease of palaeontological observations has been the result. That 

 these observations should prove of their full value, it was high time 

 that they should be reduced to order and brought to the test of strict 

 comparison. With renewed energy and increased knowledge the 

 author has again applied himself to the crowd of names and synonyms, 

 and has now marshalled in alphabetical array, in their several classes, 

 families, orders, and genera, upwards of 8300 species of British fossils. 



In carrying out this arrangement the author submitted some 

 sections of his work to those of his scientific friends who had respec- 

 tively paid attention to the several groups of fossils ; and the assist- 

 ance rendered him in these departments the author freely acknow- 

 ledges in the Preface, where he assigns to each his due, and carefully 

 notices the public and private collections from which he has gathered 

 information and received assistance. 



Many of the palseontographical notes and memoirs recently pub- 

 lished, especially in the case of monographs, have done much to the 

 correction of the nomenclature of the subject. Of these Mr. Morris 

 has fully availed himself. 



The following Table exhibits the numerical proportions of the 

 several palseontological groups for Great Britain and Ireland (and 

 approximately for Europe and elsewhere), — together with the differ- 

 ence of numbers of the organic remains enumerated in the previous 

 edition compared with those now catalogued. r ,' V "'*':- .- 



toq to ihuU >d' >iti nr>/tT§ 



