CURRENT LITERATURE. I 77 



July 14I/1. — Dr. Hy. Woodward, F.R.S., &c, in the chair. 



The following were elected members of the Society :— 

 Gustave Dollfus, Charles Hedley, Dr. Jousseaume, Dr. 

 Kendig, J. J. MacAndrew, and Richard Rimmer. 



The following papers were read : — " On the Occurrence of 

 Crepidula fornicata in Essex " by Mr. W. Crouch, F.Z.S. ; 

 " On the Anatomy of Ephippodonta Macdougalli^ Tate " by 

 Mr. M. F. Woodward ; '' Description of a New Species of 

 Cancellaria " by Mr. G. B. Sowerby, F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; " On 

 the Clausilice of Sumatra, with descriptions of two New 

 Species " by Mr. E. R. Sykes, B.A., F.Z.S. ; " On the Habit 

 of Oviposition in the Umbilicus of some Helices of the Section 

 Libera " by Mr. G. K. Gude. 



CURRENT LITERATURE. 



In order to make the following Bibliography as complete as possible, the 

 Editor invites the co-operation of British and foreign authors. All communica- 

 tions should be addressed to the Editor, the " Conchologist," Mason College, 

 Birmingham, England. 



MALACOLOGY IN GENERAL. 



Pilsbry, H. A. — Tryon's Manual of Conchology, ser. i., pts. 53a and 56; 

 ser. ii., p. 32. Philadelphia. Academy of Natural Sciences. 



In the part dealing with the Helices, the following are new : — Helicella 

 beadlei (near H. erlcelii, Kob. ; the reference to figures of this species should be 

 47 — 49 and not 49 — 51, and on the next page H. erkelii, Kob., is referred to 

 figs. 58 and 59 which should be 50 and 51), Iberus culminicola, Kob., MSS. 

 (near Iberus sultana). Pomalia mazzuliopsis, Ancey (already described by Ancey 

 as Hx. sirfiaperta.), Hemitrochus caymanensis, Maynard (near H. streatori, Pils.), 

 Cochlostyla versicolor, Mlldf. , Vallonia excentrica, Sterki, V. declivis, Sterki, 

 V. parvula, Sterki, V. perspectiva, Sterki, V. cyclophorella, Ancey, Camcena 

 pachychila, Smith MS., Chloritis pseudoprunum, Pils. (new name for prunum, 

 Rve. non Ferussac). 



In the Marine series, part 56 continues the monograph of the Polyplacophora ; 

 part 53a is, however, of much more general interest, as it contains the intro- 

 duction, a review of the history of the group, and a new classification. This last 

 is based on the " characters furnished by the articulating surfaces of the valves." 

 It is too lengthy to give in detail here. The main feature is the giving up of the 

 groups of regular and irregular chitons. The Polyplacophora are divided into 

 three " superfamilies." In the first (Eoplacophora), " the valves lack insertion 

 plates, or, if present, they are unslit." In the second (Mesoplacophora) "all 

 valves possess insertion plates. Valve i, i. — vii. or i. — viii., have slits; teeth 

 are smooth, or but slightly roughened between the slits, never closely, finely 

 pectinated ; valves lack eyes." In the third (Teleoplacophora) "all valves, or 

 valves i. — vii., possess insertion plates cut into teeth by slits ; the teeth are 

 sharply sculptured, or ' pectinated,' outside by fine vertical grooves (Chitonidae)." 

 Mr. Pilsbry's new theory as to the origin of insertion-plates is interesting, 

 namely, that their presence (and corrugation) are due mainly to the buffeting of 

 the surf, &c. ; and he instances the fact that chitons from great depths either lack 



