February i6, 1893] 



NA TURE 



363 



BRITISH JURASSIC GASTEROPODA. 



A Catalogue oj British Jurassic Gasteropoda, comprisifig 

 the Genera and Species hitherto described, with refer- 

 ences to their Geological Distribution and to the Local- 

 ities in which they have been found. By W. H. 

 Hudleston, M.A., F.R.S., P.G.S., and Edward Wilson, 

 F.G.S. 8vo, pp. xxxiv+147- (London: Dulau and 

 Co., 1892.) 



NEXT in importance to a monograph on any group 

 of fossils is a catalogue of the species giving their 

 distribution, their synonymy, and references to the figures 

 and descriptions. The value of such a catalogue is 

 enormously increased when, as in the present case, the 

 authors have made a prolonged and careful study of the 

 subject. The late Prof. John Morris was able, with 

 scarcely any help from other workers, to publish a critical 

 catalogue of all British fossils ; the first edition appeared 

 in 1843, the second in 1854. But since that date so much 

 progress has been made in palaeontology that the accom- 

 plishment of such a task by any one man would now be 

 an impossibility. Prof. Morris always hoped to bring 

 out a third edition of his work, and after his death 

 a committee was formed to carry out this project. But 

 the labour appears to have been too great and the com- 

 mittee soon ceased to exist. This is greatly to be re- 

 gretted, for although the work must of necessity have 

 been distributed among various authors, a certain amount 

 of uniformity in treatment would at any rate have been 

 secured and publication hastened. 



In the preface we are told that Mr. Hudleston is mainly 

 responsible for the Oolites and Mr. Wilson for the Lias. 

 Under the term Jurassic the authors include everything 

 from the Lias to the Portland-stone : the Rhaetic beds, 

 although not regarded as strictly Jurassic, are treated in 

 the supplement. The total number of gasteropods re- 

 corded by Samuel Woodward from these formations in 

 1830 was only 89, whereas in the present work the 

 number given is 1015. Of these 15 come from the Rhaetic, 

 314 from the Lias, 681 from the Oolites, and 5 from the 

 Lias and Oolites. In the Lias the gasteropods are char- 

 acterized by the species belonging to comparatively few 

 genera. Although, as far as genera are concerned, the 

 Lias shows considerable affinity to the Oolites, there is 

 nevertheless a great break in the continuity of the species, 

 only five being common to the Lias and Oolites. Gastero- 

 pods are most abundant in the calcareous beds, so that 

 the Lower Oolites have yielded by far the larger number 

 of forms, the Inferior Oolite being richer than the Great 

 Oolite. In the Middle and Upper Oolites there is a de- 

 cided decline in the gasteropods, especially of the argill- 

 aceous beds. 



After the introductory remarks the authors give a 

 valuable bibliography of the British Jurassic Gasterpoda, 

 and then a list of the genera, in which each is placed in 

 its proper family and reference given to the original de- 

 scription. By the use of different type the genera are 

 divided into four classes, (1) those fully accepted by the 

 authors, (2) those accepted with doubt, (3) those given as 

 Jurassic by other authors but not accepted, (4) synonyms. 

 In the catalogue proper the authors have adopted 

 Morris's plan, each page being divided into two columns ; 

 in the larger are given the name of the species, the 

 NO. 12 16, VOL. 47] 



references, the synonyms, and the cross-references ; in 

 the smaller the geological horizon and the more import- 

 ant localities, the locality first named being that from 

 which the type was obtained or the first place from which 

 the species was recorded in Britain. The dates of pub- 

 lications are often omitted, but since they can be found 

 in the bibliography this is not very inconvenient except 

 in the case of serials. The present locale of types is not 

 given, although this would have been a comparatively 

 easy matter, especially since so many catalogues of types 

 have been recently published. 



With regard to the orthography the authors have kept 

 to the older and more usual method. For instance, the 

 capital initial is used for species when derived from 

 proper names, and the single / for the genitive is not 

 always adopted. Thus we find a considerable variation 

 in the terminations, such as, Cricki (p. 124) Crickii 

 (p. Tj), IValtoni (p. 42) Waltonii (p. 139), Suessea (p. 29) 

 Suessii (p. 138), IVrightii (p. 46) Wrightiaiius (p. 70). 

 These are, however, purely matters of opinion and do not 

 in any way detract from the great value of the work, 

 which exhibits so much painstaking accuracy and sound 

 criticism. H. WOODS. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



The Year- Book of the Imperial Institute of the United 

 Kingdom, the Colonies, and India, and Statistical 

 Record of the Resources and Trade of the Colonial 

 and Indian Possessions of the British Empire. Com- 

 piled chiefly from official sources. First issue 1892. 

 Issued under the authority of the Executive Council, 

 and published by John Murray, &c. Large octavo 

 pp. xvi. and 824. 

 The Imperial Institute has lost no time in issuing a 

 handsome and comprehensive year-book, compiled by 

 the Librarian, Mr. J. R. FitzGerald, who has diligently 

 and successfully gathered together a stack of varied 

 information bearing on the purposes of the Institute. It 

 is a question which time alone can answer whether 

 amongst the many admirable year-books of statistics, 

 commerce, and the colonies which have established 

 themselves as annuals of proved utility, there is room for 

 a new and bigger book overlapping their information, 

 and containing few, if any, novel features. It would be 

 out of place to discuss this question in a notice which 

 ought to be confined to the scientific aspects of the work. 

 The object of the year book, as expressed in the preface, 

 is to deal " statistically with the physical geography, the 

 natural resources, and the industries and commerce ot 

 the Colonies and India," and with certain other related 

 facts. It would not be fair to criticise severely the first 

 issue of so large and comprehensive a compilation ; but 

 it would help towards the attainment of the compiler's 

 aim if the description of the physical geography of the 

 regions touched upon could be made as full as the his- 

 torical introductions, and as statistical as the commercial 

 tables. More notice ought to be taken of the geology 

 and the character of the soil in the colonies where 

 geological surveys are in progress ; and climate certainly 

 deserves better treatment. We do not think space would 

 be wasted in giving the mean monthly temperatures and 

 rainfall for the average year, and for two extreme years, 

 at a few representative stations in the larger colonies. 

 This information cannot indeed be found in any existing 

 books, but must be worked out from original records 

 which exist abundantly, and are rarely made available to 

 practical workers. 



The treatment of natural resources might also be 



