CURRENT LITERATURE. 99 



Externally there are no characters to separate the members of this genus from 

 Polijgyra. It is founded upon the characters of the generative organs and lung and 

 kidney. The only species of which the internal anatomy is known is A. miorhyssa, 

 Dall. The generative organs xQsemhXe iho^e n{ \\\e EpipUallogona or oi Bdogona, 

 "which have undergone degeneration of the dart sack and associated mucous 

 glands." The kidney in Polygyra, with few exceptions, is very long, whilst that in 

 A. miorhyssa is short, like that of Epiphragmoplwra. A list of species which 

 probably belong to the genus is given, and a key for the determination of known 

 forms, by each author. — W. E. C. 



Melvill, J. Cosmo. — Notes on the Mollusca of the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, 

 and Gulf of Oman, mostly dredged by Mr. F. W. Townsend, with Descrip- 

 tions of Twenty-seven Species. Ann. and Mag. N. H.,1899 (s. 7), vol. iv, 

 pp. 81 — loi, pis. i— ii. 



Melvill, J. Cosmo, and Standen, R. — Report on the Marine Mollusca 

 obtained during the First Expedition of Prof. A. C. Haddon to the Torres 

 Straits, in 1888-89. Linn. Soc. Journ. Zool., 1899, vol. xxvii, pp. 150 — 206, 

 pis. 10 — II. 



The authors review previous work which has been done in this region. In all 

 they record 449 species, of which 24 are new. A new genus of Neritidce (Magadis) 

 is described, the type M. eumerintha showing a superficial resemblance to Vanikoro, 

 Quoy. A new subgenus of Pholadomya, Sby. ( Parilimya ) is described for a shell 

 possessing almost equilateral valves, and the paper concludes with some interesting 

 remarks on the recent species of this genus. — \V. E. C. 



Melvill, J. Cosmo, and PonSOnby, J. H.— Further Contribution towards a 

 Check-list of the non-Marine Molluscan Fauna of South Africa, with Descrip- 

 tions of Fourteen new Species. Ann. and Mag. N. H., 1899 (s. 7), vol. iv, 

 pp. 192 — 200, pi. iii. 



Messrs. Melvill and Ponsonby give a series of interesting "Addenda et Corri- 

 genda " to their Check-list recently reviewed in this journal (p. 43). The 14 new 

 species belong to the following genera: Ennea 2, Zingis 3, Trachycystis 3, Troclio- 

 morpha I, Balea I, Pupa i, Cttrvclla I, and Auricula 2. — W. E. C. 



Smith, Edgar A. — On a Collection of Land-Shells from British Central Africa. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc, 1899, pp. 579 — 592, pis. xxxiii — xxxv. 



This is a welcome addition to the literature of the Mollusca of Central Africa. 

 As the author had previously surmised, interesting intermediate links connecting 

 some of the larger species of Achatina have been found. In reference to the 

 Achatiim Mr. Smith has experienced much difficulty in determining the same. 

 There seems to be a gradual gradation of one species into another. " Each district 

 seems to produce its special race, a modification of some neighbouring form; so that 

 the separation of species becomes more and more difficult through the discovery of 

 intermediate links from every fresh locality.'"' It is much to be regretted that in a 

 case of this character that no attention is paid to the animal and its internal structure. 



Forty-four species are enumerated of which 25 are new, these latter are as follows: 

 Euiiea 2, Streptaxis I, Hclicai'ion 2, Thapsia 6, Zi?2gis l, A/artensia I, Phasis 2, 

 Trochozonites i, Buliiiiinus 3, Ciirvdla 2, Subulina i, Ac/iatina 2, and Poniatias I. 



W. E. C. 



Sykes, E. R. — The Zoological Record, London: 1899. Record vii, Mollusca, 

 pp. 1—79. 



Assisted by Messrs. E. A. Smith and G. C. Crick, Mr. Sykes fully maintains the 

 high standard reached in previous numbers of this invaluable publication. We 

 notice that certain papers are quoted under the " .Systematic" portion which do not 

 appear in the "Titles," which is somewhat unfortunate. It is interesting, to the 

 systematist, to know the year in which a new species has been described, but such a 



