Zoology 739 



not long-er ago than two decades. "Only twenty years ago," 

 the authors write, "the fish fauna of the deep sea was repre- 

 sented in collections by forty or fifty specimens, representing 

 not more than twenty species at the most — accidental waifs 

 picked up at the surface or cast ashore by the waves." 



A work whose place is rather in archa;;ology than ichthy- 

 ology may be referred to because of its interest to ichthyolo- 

 gists. It is on " Prehistoric Fishing in Europe and North 

 America" (1884), by Charles Rau, and was published as one 

 of the "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." 



AMPHIBIANS 



As EARLY as 1853, ^ monograph on the "Anatomy of the 

 Nervous System " of the common bullfrog of the United 

 States, called, in conformity with the accepted nomenclature 

 of the day, Rana pipiens, but now known as Rana cates- 

 biana, was supplied by Doctor Jeffries Wyman to the "Smith- 

 sonian Contributions to Knowledge." It was a creditable 

 and well illustrated memoir. 



In 1875, Professor Edward D. Cope enumerated the re- 

 cent species of amphibians in his " Check-list of North 

 American Batrachia and Reptilia." In 1883, another " Check- 

 list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia " was prepared 

 by Doctor Henry C. Yarrow. 



Finally, all the materials in the National Museum, as well 

 as the literature, were considered and discussed in a descrip- 

 tive and thoroughly illustrated volume entitled "The Batra- 

 chia of North America," by Professor Cope. In the "letter 

 of transmittal " it is stated that descriptions are given of fifty - 

 three Urodela and forty-seven Salientia, thus aggregating 

 just one hundred species. 



Some remarkable specie? have been added to the North 



