Quarterly Journal of Conchology. 1 7 5 



SPECIES F^^^C/^" VARIETIES. 



By C. P. GLOYNE. 



The subject of the discrimination of species and varieties 

 having been under discussion in the pages of this Journal on two 

 occasions lately, I beg to offer a few remarks that have occurred 

 to me. 



I would first observe that neither of the gentlemen who have 

 taken part in the discussion, appear to have distinguished a var- 

 iety from a monstrosity. The divergence of an individual from the 

 normal form from pathological causes is always designated by the 

 latter name. It would be as reasonable to make a var. conjuncta 

 of the human race for the Siamese twins or a var. pusilla for Tom 

 Thumb astocallasinistral specimen ot a commonly dextral shell var. 

 perversa. Still more is this the case when the malformation is not 

 even congenital, but has been produced during the lifetime of the 

 animal. This at once disposes of such cases as the var. decollata 

 of Lymnea stagnalis proposed by Mr. Simpson. 



Leaving aside these monstrosities however, we have many in- 

 stances of true variation where it is difficult to draw the line between 

 individual variation, varieties and distinct species and there is by 

 no means a concurrence of opinion amongst naturalists as to where 

 to fix the limits. As those who have follow ed the foreign literature 

 of the subject are aware, a certain party amongst French concholo- 

 gists, "lanouvelle ecole", carry the subdivision of species to about 

 the furthest limit possible, short of making a species out of every 

 specimen. M. Bourguignat is the leader of this school, which 

 started an organ called the "Annales de Malacologie," which how- 

 ever was very short lived. Dr. Kobelt in a note to his excellent 

 Catalogue of European Land and Fresh water shells observes if all 

 the genera were to be treated as this school has treated the genus 

 Cionella, the list of European shells would soon reach the dimen- 

 sions of a dictionary. I need scarcely add that these extravagances 

 are repudiated by the really leading conchologists of France such 

 as M.M. Crosse and Fischer. This "nouvelle ecole" has further- 

 more distinguished itself by the use of Greek derivations for specific 



