266 AMERICAN JOURNAL 



Materiaux pour servir a l'etude de la famllle des Melaniens. Addi- 

 tions et Corrections au Catalogue Systematique des Especes 

 qui composent la Famille des Melaniens. By A. Brot, M. D. 8 vo. 

 64 pp. and 3 colored plates. Geneva, 1868. 



This is the second work on the subject for which we are indebted 

 to the patient study of Dr. Brot, who has made a speciality of 

 this family of shells. His first publication, bearing a title simi- 

 lar to the above with the exception of the words " additions and 

 corrections," was issued in 1862, and showed a vast acquaintance 

 with the numerous species so fully illustrated and so dreadfully 

 confused by Reeve's " Conchologia Iconica." Dr. Brot cor- 

 rected many of Reeve's errors regarding American species, ex- 

 hibiting such excellent comprehension of the specific characters 

 of these very numerous and difficult shells as to excite the admi- 

 ration of American Conchologists. 



The present publication gives a resume of the progress of the 

 science of Conchology in all that relates to the Melaniens during 

 the last six years, including additional species described by Dr. 

 Brot and emendations of the synonymy. The author omits 

 from this catalogue the species of the United States, as they have 

 been so fully treated in our synonymy published in the Proceed- 

 ings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1863, and in the more 

 recent Monograph; (see this Journal I. II.) but the exotic 

 species are very carefully and fully treated. To exhibit all the 

 changes of synonymy proposed by Dr. Brot w.ould occupy more 

 space than we have at our disposal. We must, therefore, re- 

 luctantly limit ourselves to noticing those most interesting to 

 American readers, and to giving a list of the new species. 



Paludomus cyanostomus, Morel. = Pachycheilus parvus, Lea. 

 Siam. 



Melania bullata, Lea, 1856, from South America, is synony- 

 mous with M. ventricosa, Moricand, published the same year ; 

 priority undetermined. 



31. Ningpo^nsis, Lea, = Amurensis, Gerstfeldt. 



31 herculea, Gould, Siam. " It is more than probable that M. 

 gloriosa, Anth., is no other than this variety, (Var. 3)." We 

 think it very much less than probable that such is the case ; 

 it is a much heavier shell, differently colored and larger. We 

 can scarcely agree with Dr. Brot that his fig. 3 on plate 3 repre- 

 sents a variety of herculea. 



M. insolita, n. sp. India? 

 " citrina. " Siam. 



Mr. Lea having twice used the name Australis for different 

 species, and Mr. Reeve having also used that name, Dr. Brot in 



