130 the nautilus. 



Repokt on a collection of shells fkom Peru, with a 

 Summary of the Littoral marine Mollusca of the Peru- 

 vian Zoological Province. 15y William Healey Dall : 

 Proc. U. S. N. M. 37, p. 147-294, Pis. 20-28, 1909 — Dealt with 

 in his usual masterly way, this paper of Dr. Dall is one of the most 

 notable contributions to the fauna ot Western South America which 

 has appeared for some years. Ostensibly l)ut a report on the rela- 

 tively small collection of shells collected by Dr. R. E. Coker, the 

 scope of the paper has been widened, first by the addition of a valu- 

 able bibliography, and in laler pages by the inclusion of a " List of 

 Species Composing the Fauna," prefaced by several pages of the 

 acute generalizations which we have now come to expect in nearly 

 all the larger works of this author. The list of synonyms at the 

 back is also a most useful feature. 



As seems inevitable in a work of this scope a lew minor errors 

 and inconsistences hav.? cre[)t in, some ol which it may be well to 

 call to notice, as well as some of tiie more important clian;:es in 

 nomenclature which Dr. Dall has found it necessary to undertake. 



The inaccuracies are as usual connected chiefly with the li^^t ot 

 Cephalopods, which has apparently been compiled from the literature 

 without any attempt at revision or the elimination of synonyms. 



By the rules ot nomenclature the family name Philonexidoe 

 (used on p. 193) can have no standing and the creatures grouped 

 under it must either be referred to the ArgonuufidcB, as most jiuthors 

 now maintain ; or if segregated the name Tremoctopodidce sliould 

 probably be used. At any rate the only species here given under 

 this group, Tremoctopus miw'mvs Orb., is a synonym of Argonauta 

 hians Sol. 



On p. 194, BoUtaena '-'• microtyla" is a misprint for B. "- imcrnco- 

 tyla" and Polypus '\fontaineanus " for P. '■'■ fontfniiamis."' On . p. 

 195 Ommastrephus gigas d'Orb. is now held the type of a distinct 

 genus Dosidicus Steenstrup, 1857. Also Steenstriipiola chilensis 

 Pfefifer is regarded by even its author as but the young sia^e of 

 Telcoteuthis plcttyptera (d'Orb.) which is also listed on the following 

 page. Onychoteuthis hracliyptera Pfeflfer may also be a synonym of 

 this. Taonius schneeliageni Pfeflfer (listed on p. 196) is a synonym 

 of Zygocranchia zygaena (Verany) Hoyle, according to Pfeflfer, but 

 further specimens may indicate differently. 



It is a pity that original figures of Polypus fnntanianus and Loligo 



