] OS Bibliographical Notice. 



details respecting localities. It does not, however, include descrip- 

 tions of the families, genera, or species, and is unillustrated. On 

 the contrarj-, in the present Tolume we find short diagnoses of the 

 various groups and species, and a woodcut of a typical species of 

 each generic and sectional group, but no complete sj-nonymy, merely 

 a reference to the original descriptions and M. Locard's and a few 

 other works. Precise habitats are not quoted, but only the parti- 

 cular sea iu which the various forms occur, and the bathymetrical 

 distribution is indicated by three zones, namely the littoral, the 

 herbaceous ( =laminarian), and the coralline. 



The clashification adopted is practically the same in both works, 

 but we notice a few omissions and alterations. For example, no 

 mention is made of the families Xenophoridoe and Siphonariidse, 

 both of which occur in the ' Prodrome.' The genus Isocardia is re- 

 moved from the Cardiidte to the Cyprinidit, Circe and Astarte from 

 the Cyprinidaj to the Astartidaj, Galeomma from Kelliidse to Galeom- 

 mida), Spondylus from Ostreidae to Spondylidae, and in the Brachio- 

 poda 3Ier/at7ii/ris, Cistella, and Thecidea are placed in the family 

 Mcgathyrida) instead of Terebratulidaj. 



In the first hundred pages, which are a fair sample of the rest, 

 we observe that half a dozen genera and about ten species occurring 

 in the ' Prodrome ' are here abandoned ; at least eight species are 

 placed in different genera, and in about a dozen instances the names 

 of species have been changed. AYe also find about twenty so-called 

 neiv sf>ecies and at least twenty-five others not contained in the 

 * Prodrome ' ! 



This excessive multiplication of species could not occur anywhere 

 except in France — for that is the special function of the " !Xouvclle 

 ecole " in that country. By all serious conchologists this practice is 

 strongly condemned, and no opportunity should be lost of loudly 

 protesting against it. "What is more ridiculous than the supposition 

 that within the last five or six years M. Locard has discovered about 

 a hundred and sixty species of ITollusca (one seventh of the total 

 number in the book !) from the shores of France, which have escaped 

 the attention of his compatriots and others for a hundred years? 



This is the only work as yet published which contains descriptions 

 (albeit they arc too brief and inadequate) of all the known shells 

 mot with on the French coast. It consists of 384 pages of text and 

 is illustrated with 348 fairly good woodcuts. 



No reference whatever is made to the soft parts or animals, and 

 the shell-bearing species only are treated of; consequently such 

 groups as the Cephalopoda, Xudibranchiata, Ptorojioda, Hetoropoda, 

 and a few others are entirely disregarded. These are serious 

 omissions to scientific students, for whom, however, the work is 

 probably less intended than for shell-collectors. 



In conclusion, we cannot commend this volume as possessing any 

 special scientific value, nor is it in any way comparable with the 

 works of Forbes and Hanley and Jeffreys oa the Mollusca of the 

 British coasts. 



