32 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



The lack of knowledge of published references to the occurrence 

 of authentic species and to writings revising the nomenclature 

 of Victorian shells, both as to genera as well as to species, makes 

 this list, viewed from a scientific standpoint, very antiquated, 

 inaccurate, and incomplete. Thus, among other works dealing 

 with Victorian conchology, the Challenger reports and Sykes on 

 " Victorian Polyplacophorae " have notably been overlooked. 



As a mere compilation, it evinces ignorance of the correlation 

 of names, as for example : — ii, Tryphon australis, and 32, Triton 

 paivce, are conspecific, and 4, Barnea similis, auctores non Gray, 

 and 5, Pholas obturamentum, are synonymic. Moreover, the 

 generic location of several species does not accord with up-to- 

 date knowledge. To point out all the errors of omission and 

 commission would involve the preparation of a new list ; whilst 

 the introduction of certain species into the Victorian fauna, which 

 cannot be authoritatively challenged without a study of actual 

 specimens, courts grave objection. Many suppressed denomina- 

 tions are continued as representing distinct species. On a liberal 

 interpretation, I would expunge 75 of the names, but omitted 

 names will more than restore that loss in numbers. 



.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ralph Tate. 



Catalogue ok Moths. — The trustees of the British Museum 

 have authorized the preparation of a series of volumes on the 

 " Moths of the World," and have entrusted the work to Sir Geo. 

 Hampson. The size proposed is large octavo, and each part 

 will consist of about 500 pages. Full synopses and descriptions 

 of families, genera, and species will be given, every described 

 species about which any information can be obtained being 

 included. An atlas of coloured plates of hitherto unfigured 

 species will be published at longer intervals. 



A Curious Action of a Fox. — At Blackburn, last Easter 

 Monday, a fox was seen by a friend of the writer (Mr. W. J. 

 Stephen) to be comfortably resting upon the fork of a eucalypt. 

 The height from the ground was some 25 ft., and a depression 

 between the limbs partly hid the animal. The stem of the tree 

 deflected at about 15° of an angle from the vertical. After 

 watching each other for fully five minutes the fox decided to 

 quit, and promptly scrambling down the trunk slid away into the 

 bushes of the creek adjacent. — Robert Hall. 



With reference to above note, the following extract from " Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sciences of Phil.," 1897, page 220, is interesting : — 

 " Northern Gray Fox, Urocyon cineroargenteus, Mirll. — One seen 

 to ascend after a squirrel to the height of 60 ft. on an erect dead 

 pine stripped of its bark. It did this voluntarily, literally ' shin- 

 ning ' 25 ft. up the branchless trunk and backing down again, as 

 a boy would do." — Ed. Vict, Nat. 



