4 NATURAL SCIENCE. Jan., 



expeditions from Mombasa and Zanzibar and those from the north 

 through Abyssinia. We are glad to hear, moreover, that Dr. Smith 

 has made extensive scientific collections, especially of birds, the skins 

 of which have been prepared by his assistant, Mr. Dodson. The 

 expedition crossed the country of the Doko, a tribe of dwarfs, which 

 were first reported by Harris, in 1844, and first seen and described 

 by Borelli in 1890. 



The Speciesmonger in High Places. 



We are somewhat astonished at the temerity of Professor 

 William Bullock Clark, of Johns Hopkins University, in sending to 

 us, presumably for review, number 121 of the University Circulars, 

 which is devoted to " Notes from the Geological Laboratory." We 

 have often had the pleasure of praising the energy and work of 

 Professor Clark, and he may possibly suppose that we shall look upon 

 the stuff he now sends with lenient eyes. Mr. Clark must learn that 

 we endeavour, to the best of our ability, to speak of everything sub- 

 mitted to us on its own merits, and we regret that we have to speak 

 of his present performance in terms of severe condemnation. 



The chief cause of our complaint is a paper entitled " Contri- 

 butions to the Eocene Fauna of the Middle Atlantic Slope." This 

 contains, within the limits of three .pages, a so-called description of no 

 less than thirty-two alleged new species. This is the kind of thing 

 that is served up to us : 



" Trionyx virginiana, n.sp. 



Fragments of costals with characteristic tuberculated surface ; 

 pits broad ; ridges far apart and irregular. 



Loc. Aquia Creek, Va." 



and 



" Teredo virginiana, n.sp. 



Tube cylindrical, long, irregularly curved ; surface smooth ; 

 prominent, transverse partition near posterior extremity. 



Loc. Many places in Maryland and Virginia." 



Does Mr. Clark seriously suppose that his fellow-workers, the 

 specialists on Reptilia or on Mollusca, can recognise these forms from 

 such undiagnostic diagnoses ? As for the so-called description of the 

 shell for which the name Pecten rogersi is proposed, all we can gather 

 from it is that the form in question is certainly not a Pecten, though it 

 may be a Chlamys. We do not congratulate Mr. Rogers, whoever he 

 may be, on being the recipient of this dishonour. It is, perhaps, 

 unnecessary to add that none of these species are figured, neither are 

 the numerous alleged new species of corals, which are proposed in 

 this same circular by H. S. Gane, nor the alleged new species of 

 Foraminifera introduced by R. M. Bagg. It is true that some plates 

 are promised to posterity ; but we know from sad experience how 

 long it is before such promises are fulfilled, and such promise is at 

 best an admission that the work as now published is incomplete. 

 Grateful, meanwhile, for small mercies, we acknowledge that some 



