president's address. 59 



his Platodes {Amphiptyches), Miss Buchanan his Chsetopods, Bell his 

 Echinodermata, Jackson his Pycnogonida, Herdman his Tiinicata, and 

 Lucas his Fishes, while McGillivray and Dendy have been engaged 

 upon his Bryozoa. The "Catalogues of the Australian Museum" 

 and the "Prodromus of the Animals of Victoria," as volumes, bear 

 witness to his industry and enthusiasm. For the past twenty odd years 

 his yacht and its crew have been always at the service of marine 

 biologists ; they had but to express a desire and it was gratified, and 

 if an animal or plant were required for legitimate work, were it ever 

 so rare, no pains and no expense were too great to secure it. There 

 are few collectors whose names will be associated with as great a 

 number of novel forms of life as Bracebridge Wilson's. His decease 

 has come at a time when steps were being taken to secure him some 

 fitting recognition of his labours. 



Turning now to general progress in Malacology, we find that during 

 the past year the Belgian, Italian, and German Malacological Societies, 

 and the English Conchological Society, have gone on in the even 

 tenour of their ways ; and that the publications devoted solely to the 

 study of the MoUusca — the " Journal de Conchy liologie," " Nautilus," 

 and the "Journal of Malacology" — have appeared as usual. Of 

 monographs, we have to record with much interest the completion 

 of Pilsbry's masterly study of the Helices, in Tryon's "Manual of 

 Conch ology." Though critical voices have been raised, there is no 

 doubt of the solid success attained in this piece of work, and of the 

 utility of the author's system of classification. We give expression of 

 our indebtedness to the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 

 for enabling the author to undertake his useful task, and note with 

 satisfaction that the Marine Series of the work has punctually 

 appeared. 



The " Conchylien Cabinet," of which several parts, relating more 

 especially to Columhella, Asperf/illum, GastrocJmna, and Helix, have 

 been issued, has made steady progress. A textbook of the Mollusca 

 has been published by the Rev. A. H. Cooke, in which an attempt 

 has been made to combine popular treatment with recent scientific 

 research, and in which Geographical Distribution has received 

 a predominant consideration. Among faunistic records, one of the 

 most important dealing with the Marine Fauna is the " Catalogue 

 of the Marine Mollusks of Japan " by Pilsbry. In that work, 

 enumerating about 500 species and varieties more than were 

 recorded by Dunkcr in 1882, the nomenclature has been carefully 

 revised to date. 



The Terrestrial Mollusca have formed the subject of several 

 formal catalogues. We have to record those of the Bahamas, 

 St. Vincent, and neighbouring islands, in our own Proceedings. 

 Monsieur Crosse has published an elaborate review of the land and 

 fresh- water shells of New Caledonia ; and Colonel Godwin- Austen 

 has compiled a list of the land-shells of the Andamans and 

 Nicobars. Many new forms have been described, especially from 

 the Philippines and Borneo. Monsieur Locard has issued a work on 



