Quarterly Journal of Conchology. 169 



Rossmassler's Iconographie der Europaischen 

 Land und Susswasser Mollusken. 



Fortgesetzt von Dr. W. Kobelt. 



Rossmassler's Iconography of the European Land and Fresh 

 water MoUusca, continued by Dr. W. Kobelt. 



Vol. IV, Part I, pp. 12 and 5 plates, (1875). 



Parts 2—4 in one — pp. 32 and 15 plates, ( 1876). 



Wiesbaden, C. W. Kreidel. Price with plain plates, 5 marks 60 

 pfennigs each part, with coloured plates, 8 marks. 



We desire particularly to call the attention of English concholo- 

 gists to this work, of which we are able to speak in all respects in 

 terms of unqualified praise. Rossmassler's work, of which the 

 publication was interrupted 18 years ago, was intended to furnish 

 figures and descriptions of all species of extra-marine moUusca in- 

 habiting Europe and the other regions making up the Palaearctic 

 Province, but the three volumes published only illustrated about 

 800 out of 1700 known species. Dr. Kobelt now begins a set of 

 supplementary volumes intended to illustrate and describe not 

 only all species and varieties not contained in Rossmassler's work, 

 but additional figures of forms insufficiently illustrated, so that the 

 whole work will form a most thorough and detailed account of the 

 Palaearctic Molluscan Fauna. 



The descriptions and figures do not follow in systematic order, 

 various groups being taken up as opportunity offers, but Dr. Kobelt's 

 Catalogue remedies any inconvenience that might arise from this. 



The species are treated in a masterly manner, and with no ten- 

 dency to an unnecessary multiplication of their number, and here 

 it must be observed that Dr. Kobelt is quite as ready to perform 

 summary execution on his own species as on those of others, when 

 further investigation has shown them to be untenable. Whilst the 

 number of species is thus judiciously restricted, every variety and 

 subvariety is described and figured, of Helix desertorum there are 

 1 2 separate forms figured, and we regard this not as a superfluous 

 luxury, but as a most valuable aid in the identification of specimens, 

 and contrasting very favourably with many English works on Con- 



