426 Miscellaneous. 
Additions to the Zoophytes of Devonshire. 
To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 
GENTLEMEN,—lI observe a notice from the Rev. T. Hincks in the 
‘Annals’ for last month, respecting the finding of Sertularia attenuata, 
Hincks, in North Devon and Cornwall. Mr. Hincks must have for- 
gotten that he had a specimen of mine, for twelve months at least, 
which was found on the south coast of Devon, and which was not 
returned to me in time for publication in my ‘Catalogue of the 
Zoophytes of Devonshire.’ 
I must ask those gentlemen who kindly purchased my ‘Catalogue’ 
to add the South Coast to the geographical distribution of this spe- 
cies, and also to add to the freshwater species Plumatella emarginata, 
Allm., and P. fruticosa, Allm., both of which I met with in the river 
Clyst, Bishop’s Clyst, September 5, 1866. 
I am, Gentlemen, 
Yours obediently, 
Devon and Exeter Institution. Epwarp Parritt. 
Oct. 6, 1866. 
On the Use of the Genus Potamogale. 
By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S. &e. 
Dr. Giinther, in the ‘Record of Zoological Literature,’ 1865, 
vol. ii. p. 33, observes, ‘We fully agree with Dr. Gray as regards 
the principle on which he objects to the name Potamogale ;’ and 
then proceeds, “but since he has adopted the specific name of veloz, 
given by Du Chaillu at the same time, and as in this case the generic 
and specific names refer to the same individual specimen, succeeding 
naturalists have no other choice but to recognize or to reject both 
alike.” 
The latter observation is incorrect, and, like several other remarks 
on mammalia and reptiles in the work, must have been made on a 
very imperfect recollection of the paper to which they refer. A very 
cursory inspection of Du Chaillu’s paper in the Boston Society’s 
Proceedings (which is copied in the paper commented on in the 
‘Annals,’ vol. xvi. p. 426) would have shown Dr. Giinther that the 
generic name of Potamogale and the specific one of velox do not 
rest on the same basis. The animal is described in the paper, with 
some details, under the name of Cynogale velox, quite sufficiently, 
especially when one has the type specimen to confirm the descrip- 
tion, to establish the specific name of velox. In a note to this de- 
scription, Du Chaillu observes that, on account of its African habitat 
and a difference in the shape and proportion of the tail, he thinks it 
may be the representative of another genus, for which ‘I proposed 
the name of Potamogale, preferring, however, to wait until I can 
procure the skull and skeleton ;”’ so that the statement that ‘‘ succeed- 
ing naturalists have no other choice but to recognize or to reject both 
alike’’ is a most erroneous one. I regret to have to make these 
observations ; but a ‘ Record’ is of little use unless it is prepared 
with care, so that naturalists can place confidence in its accuracy. 
