340 NATURAL SCIENCE. may, 



tion or the Appendix. Again it is to be noted that the literary part of 

 the work bears signs of having been entrusted to a third author not 

 under proper control of the two responsible authors. To say nothing of 

 the numerous " family diagnoses" based on ridiculously trivial charac- 

 ters, and the imposing "keys" filled with anatomical statements not 

 verified in half the genera with which they deal — this collaboration 

 has resulted in endless confusion and inconsistency. We are not now 

 concerned with details, so will only cite one illustration of our meaning 

 to caution the unwary reader. Take the case of the Order Malacop- 

 terygii, as it is termed. At the top of page 34, it is said to be 

 characterized by " a mesocoracoid arch"; a few lines further down 

 we are told that the large majority of the families comprised in this 

 Order are destitute of the arch in question ( " mesocoracoid wanting 

 or atrophied "). As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the fishes 

 placed here have never been examined in reference to the point. In 

 the same table — which, like nearly all these higher " definitions," is 

 marked "(G^//)" — the " Pterothrissidae " are stated to have the 

 " dorsal fin similar to and opposite anal," whereas on p. 50 Gunther 

 is correctly quoted in reference to this point thus : — " cTorsal fin much 

 elongate, many rayed ; anal fin short." To make matters worse, 

 Giinther's figure of Alepocephalus niger is reproduced to serve for 

 " Pterothrissus gissu,'' although the very same figure is copied under its 

 correct name on a previous plate. Nor have the authors rectified this 

 confusion in the copious Appendix. Finally, there is a total lack of 

 decision as to what are "family" characters and what are "generic" 

 characters, the same feature being continually mentioned in the 

 higher definition and then repeated in the definitions subordinate to 

 it. As to the lists of dredgings, they are printed in the most confusing 

 manner possible, there being no attempt at tabulation for convenient 

 reference. Even the list of deep-sea and pelagic fishes is carelessly 

 compiled ; and one whole genus of pelagic fishes par excellence, that of 

 the flying-fishes (Exoccetus), is entirely omitted. 



We have nothing to add concerning nomenclature and the 

 changing of familiar names ; those are questions of personal idio- 

 syncrasy in most cases, and no code of Rules can control them. We 

 would only repeat the expression of our gratitude to the authors for 

 the great and useful task they have accomplished, and conclude with 

 the hope that the U.S. National Museum will soon succeed in 

 removing some of the disabilities under which its larger publications 

 labour. 



A Book for Billingsgate, 



Marketable Marine Fishes of the British Isles. By J. T. Cunningham. 

 Pp. xvi., 375, illustrated. London : Macmillan, 1896. Price 7s. 6d. 



This book, published under the auspices of the Marine Biological 

 Association, may be succinctly described as a popular account of 

 most of the scientific work done upon the life-histories of our food- 

 fishes up to two or three years ago, supplemented by short sketches 

 of the leading anatomical features of the common species of food- 

 fishes, gleaned from Day and other reliable authors. As the blue- 

 books and journals in which the former has appeared, and the 

 voluminous works of the latter, are, to some extent, inaccessible to 

 the amateur, this volume should prove a useful guide to the general 

 subject, at least so far as it goes. 



The book is divided into two parts, the first of which deals with 

 the subject from general points of view, and the second consists of 

 special remarks upon each common species. 



