IT INTRODUCTION. 



names have passed into a deserved oblivion. This is also applicable to many 

 of Ehrenberg's " species," most of which were drawn and figured as preserved 

 in Canada-balsam. In studying this author it must be remembered that, at the 

 time Parker and Jones wrote their paper upon Ehrenberg's " Mikrogeologie," 

 they were perfectly familiar with Foraminifera, both in the free and in the 

 mounted state with both reflected and transmitted lights. Hence their de- 

 terminations of Ehrenberg's figures may be safely taken as correct. At the 

 same time it must be pointed out that a correction of nomenclatui'e made to 

 one of the figures in the Mikrogeologie does not necessarily refer to any other 

 species of Ehrenberg's bearing the same binominal appellation. 



In the cataloguing of Soldani's numerous figures, I had availed myself of 

 Jones and Parker's observations on the subject, when referring the old figures 

 to modern interpretations. Since the completion of my manuscript, Fornasini 

 has published a detailed memoir on Soldani, and to this I must refer the stu- 

 dent for farther pai'ticulars when dealing with any special form. 



With regard to the method of reference employed, it will be noted that the 

 name of the original author of a species invariably accompanies that species, 



or is expressed by its equivalent , whenever that species is referred to 



subsequently to its first appearance. The jjractice of quotation often adopted 

 in lists, e. g., 



Cristellaria cultrata, Brady, Report Challenger,, etc., 

 when really 



Cristellaria cultrata (Montfort). Brady, Report Challenger, etc., 

 is meant, is not only troublesome but misleading. 



The letter v. is used indiscriminately for vide or varietas ; but, from the 

 position of the letter, the meaning should be easily apparent. 



In the compilation of such a book as this we can scarcely hope to approach 

 perfection ; and, with this in mind, I gladly availed myself of the offer by my 

 friend Fortescue William Millett, of Marazion, to look over the proofs with a 

 view to corrigenda and additamenta. The result of the kind offices of Mil- 

 lett and others is presented in a list arranged alphabetically under genera. 

 It remains for me to express my thanks to the Board of Regents of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution for publishing my manuscript ; to thank especially Professor 

 Rupert Jones', who kindly placed at my disj^osal the whole of his manuscript 

 notes made while considering the nomenclature question with Parker and Brady ; 

 and to thank those friends who have from time to time favored me with their 

 papers and assistance. My thanks are also gratefully tendered to Dr. S. H. 

 Scudder for his kindly interest, and to the " reader " of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution, and the printers, to whose patience and acumen in dealing with a 

 difficult manuscript, I am considerably indebted. 



C. Davies Sherborn. 



