614 SCIENTIFIC EECORD FOR 1882. 



remained unknown till obtained tlirougli the intervention of the United 

 States Fish Commission in 1879. It was then found in great numbers at a 

 depth of about 75 to 150 fathoms, and as it was so large and also savory, 

 promised to become a species of considerable economical importance. 

 But in 1882 a great mortality among fishes occurred in March, in the 

 North Atlantic, chiefly on the borders of the Gulf Stream and southwest 

 of St. George's Bank, extending at least from latitude 37° to 40°, and 

 longitude 71° to 73° 10'. Numerous accounts of the phenomenon have 

 appeared in the newspapers ; but there is a deficiency of exact recorded 

 data. It has been stated that a number of different kinds of fishes were 

 affected, but from the imperfect indications it is at least probable that the 

 Tile-fish was the principal sufferer. The fishes were seen floating upon 

 the surface of the water, and various vessels sailed through miles and 

 miles of them — in some places " fully fifty dead fish" occurring in an area 

 equal to the cabin space of a vessel. Of course many hypotheses have 

 been broached to account for the fatality, but they all lack foundation 

 or require verification. The United States Commissioner of Fish and 

 Fisheries has suggested that " it is possible, their appearance being 

 almost concurrent with, or but slightly subsequent to, the great storm 

 off" George's Bank," that this may have been in some way the cause of 

 the mortality. In order to ascertain the effect of this mortality in the 

 haunts of the Tile-fish, special search was made where it was formerly 

 so abundant, but not a single specimen was obtained. 



AMPHIBIANS. 



General. 



Peters (W.). Ampliibien von Mossambique. Naturwissebschaftliclie Raise nach Mos- 

 sambique, 1842-48, etc. Zoologie, III, Berlin, 1882. (fol, Mit 28 color, and 5 

 schwarz. Taf. M. 80.) 



Gradientia or TJrodela. 



Boulenger (George Albert). Catalogue of tbe Batrachia Gradientia s. Caudata and 

 Batrachia Apoda in the collection of the British Museum. 2d ed. London, 18B2. 

 (8vo, viii, 127 pp., 9 pi.) 



Gasco (F.). Les amours des Axolotls. Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 6. ann., pp. 151-162. 



Parker (W. K.). On the Structure and Development of the Skull in the Urodeles. 

 With 6 pi. Trans. Zool. Soc. London, v. xi, pp. 171-214. 



Salientia or Anura. 



Boulenger (George Albert). Catalogue of the Batrachia Salientia s. Ecaudata in the 

 collection of the British Museum, 2d ed. London. 1882, (8vo, xvi, 503 pp., 30 

 pi.— £ 110s.) 



Peters (W.). Ueber Batrachier, insbesondere fiber die so eben veroflfentlichte zweito 

 Auflage des Catalogs der Batrachia salientia s. ecaudata des British Museum von 

 Herrn G. A. Boulenger. Sitzgsber. Ges. nat. Fr, Berlin, 1882, pp. 60-62. 



Tung (fimile). De I'influence des milieux physico-chiiniques sur les Stres vivants: 

 influence des diff^rentes especes d'aliments sur le d^veloppement de la grenouille 

 (Rana esculenta). Arch. sc. phys. et nat., Geneve (3), t. 7, pp. 225-261. 



