58 Bibliographical Notices. 



rubris notata. Apertura margine patentissima." (Linn. Trans, 

 vol. iii. p. 67.) With respect to the thickened or broad margin, 

 it is rarely seen but in the completed shell, whether it be 

 dwarf, or of a larger growth ; and in the variety ?,ty\cdi pulchenima 

 it is mostly wanting, probably in consequence of a depauperation 

 from littoral causes, as the R. inconspicua is usually a deep water 

 or coralline zone species. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



A Popular History of British Zoophytes. By the Rev. D. Lands- 

 borough, D.D., A.L.S. &c. London : Reeve and Co. 



Wk suspect there may be some, even among the lovers of natural 

 history, who on reading the title of this book will exclaim, " But 

 what are Zoophytes ? " " 



If this be so, we would implore all such good folks not to stop at 

 the mere inquiry, but to open the pages of Dr. Landsborough's very 

 interesting and attractive little volume, and judge for themselves what 

 zoophytes are. The admirable illustrations will enable them at once 

 to perceive the exquisite beauty of form which is to be met with even 

 in this remote corner of the kingdom of nature — exemplifying for 

 the thousandth time the truth of Lord Bacon's Commentary on 

 Scripture : " God beheld all things which his bands had made, and 

 lo they were all passing good. But when man turned him about 

 and took a view of the works which his hands had made, be found 

 all to be vanity and vexation of spirit." 



Dr. Landsborough has dedicated bis volume to two friends, one of 

 whom is Dr. Johnston of Berwick-upon-Tweed, whose work on Zoo- 

 phytes has long been the standard in the scientific world both at 

 home and abroad. And to those " admirable volumes," as Dr. Lands- 

 borough calls them, he intends his own more popularized and briefer 

 work to form " a stepping-stone." We have every hope that this 

 may be the case. The study of zoophytes has not hitherto been so 

 popular as it richly deserves to be from their interesting and wonderful 

 nature, and we hail with delight the stepping-stones which are to 

 shorten and facilitate the path of the young student across the many 

 difficulties by which be must at first be surrounded. 



To the idle wanderer or invalid by the sea-shore, the volume before 

 us will be invaluable. He will find the "ugly brown sea-weeds" 

 which he has kicked so recklessly from before bis feet as be saunt- 

 ered hstlessly along the beach, assume a new shape and character in 

 his eyes. He will discover that they are neither " ugly brown sea- 

 weeds," nor bits of dirty branches either, but the marvellously con- 

 structed homes of thousands of Uving creatures, united in households, 

 as it were, by their respective similarities of growth, formation and 

 habits. The very broken shells he meets with, and on which the 

 conchologist could not deign to cast an eye, are to him precious 

 morsels, for here and there upon them are to be seen clusters of other 



