590.2 (43) 305 



I. 



' k Das Tierreich " 



r PHIS proposed great work has been so much spoken about of late 

 1 that a short account may be acceptable to our readers. The 

 complete title is " Das Tierreich. Eine Zusammenstellung und 

 Kennzeichnung der rezenten Tierformen. Herausgegeben von der 

 Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaft." It is to deal with all the 

 species of animals, now living or extinct within historic times, that 

 have received a recognisable description. Besides giving co-ordinated 

 diagnoses of these, it will mention all insufficiently described and 

 doubtful species, as well as sub-species and varieties, and will describe 

 any important developmental stages, alternating generations, and 

 specially remarkable biological relations (presumably this means cases 

 of parasitism, symbiosis, and commensalism). Under each species 

 will be given its geographical distribution, the most important 

 literature relating to it, and a complete list of synonyms, so that no 

 name that has been used in the binomial nomenclature of living species 

 will be omitted. Besides the diagnoses of species, families, and 

 higher divisions, there will be provided systematic synopses and 

 practical keys for the determination of species. The unavoidable 

 length of the work will be reduced, so far as possible, by the use of 

 abbreviations, of which a list will be given with each division. The 

 employment of it will be facilitated by systematic and alphabetical 

 indices for each division and each larger group, as they are published, 

 and for the whole work when it is completed. 



The general editor of the work is Geh. Professor Franz Eilhard 

 Schulze, of Berlin, associated with whom is a committee composed of 

 the President for the time being of the German Zoological Society, 

 and Professor Dr. K. Moebius. The general editor is assisted by 

 sub-editors, to each of whom is assigned one main division of the 

 animal kingdom. So far the following sub-editors have been ap- 

 pointed : Professor F. Blochmann, of Rostock, for Brachiopoda ; 

 Professor O. Boettger, of Frankfurt a;M, for Reptilia and Amphibia ; 

 Professor F. Braun, of Konigsberg, for Platyhelminthes ; Professor 

 O. Butschli, of Heidelberg, for Protozoa ; Professor C. Chun, of Breslau, 

 for Cnidaria and Ctenophora ; Professor F. Dahl, of Kiel, for Arach- 

 noidea ; Professor C. W. von Dalle Torre, of Innsbruck, for Hymen- 

 optera ; Professor L. Doederlein, of Strassburg, for Mammalia ; Pro- 

 fessor E. Ehlers, of Gottingen, for Bryozoa ; Dr. W. Giesbrecht, of 



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