346 Bibliographical Notices. 



native speech. This will doubtlessly ensure it a widely extended 

 circulation ; the practice of each individual writer describing his sup- 

 posed new species in his own particular language, of course limiting 

 the perusal of his work to those conversant with that tongue, and 

 entailing great confusion (where the work is not illustrated) through 

 foreigners reproducing the species under other appellations through 

 a justifiable ignorance (since a knowledge of all the tongues of Europe 

 cannot be expected from any man, and their acquisition would leave 

 but little leisure to be devoted to the study of nature) of their prior 

 publication. 



It is perhaps to be regretted that no plates accompany the letter- 

 press, the references being frequently to unpublished (at least they 

 have not as yet reached us in England) figures in Kuster's costly and 

 bulky edition of Chemnitz's 'Conchylien Cabinet,' a book, whose pro- 

 tracted periodical issue and the rudeness of execution in its earlier 

 plates, combined with the comparative want of research displayed by 

 the editor in the earlier portion of it, have almost excluded it from 

 our libraries in England, and rendered us ignorant how much valu- 

 able matter is engulfed in the more recent numbers, wherein in- 

 deed a very considerable number of hitherto unpublished species 

 have of late appeared. An atlas of engravings after the fashion of 

 Rossmasler's ' Iconography of the European Land and Freshwater 

 Shells,' and produced at a similar moderate charge, would prove a 

 most valuable companion to Dr. Pfeiffer's text, and would not (we 

 believe) be unappreciated by the public. 



In conclusion we may state, that there is throughout exhibited a 

 sound and practical acquaintance with conchological literature, par- 

 ticularly with that of England ; and with a singular frankness, such 

 species as the author has himself been unable to recognize are indi- 

 cated by a symbolic mark. This latter proceeding may appear un- 

 important, yet how many difficulties could be solved, were we thus 

 enabled to ascertain the exact extent of an author's acquaintance with 

 the established species previous to his constitution of new ones ! 



Fauna littoralis Norvegice, oder Beschreibung und Abbildungen neuer 

 oder wenig bekannten Seethiere, nebst Beobachtungen fiber die Orga- 

 nisation, Lebensweise u. Entwickelung derselben von M. Sars, Doctor 

 der Philosophic &c. Erstes Heft, mit 10 Kupfertafeln. Chris- 

 tiania, 3 846. 



The first number of a very interesting work which we are anxious 

 to recommend to the support of British zoologists. It is written in 

 the German language with the characters of the new genera and spe- 

 cies in Latin : it is in folio, and this number contains 94 pages and 

 10 plates, well- engraved and uncoloured. The species illustrated 

 are — 



1 . Syncoryna Sarsii, Lov. 



2. Podocoryna, a new genus, = Hydractinia of Van Beneden ; and 

 the P. carnea, Sars, is very probably the same as the Hydractinia 

 rosea, Van Beneden. 



