PREFATORY NOTES. 



This Catalogue covers a wider area than that indicated on the 

 cover as " Europe," being a list of such inland Mollusca of the 

 Palcearctic Region as are in my possession. 



The term "Palaearctic Region" is employed to indicate the region 

 thus named by Mr. A. R. Wallace, 1 except that the Manchurian 

 Province, which has a very different Molluscan Fauna, is excluded. 

 Thus limited this region embraces Europe, the parts of Africa and 

 Arabia which lie to the North of the Tropic of Cancer, Persia and 

 Afghanistan, and all to the North of those countries, together with the 

 entire Russian Empire and the Islands of the Madeiran Province. 



The general arrangement adopted is that of Dr. Paul Fischer. 2 

 In the nomenclature of genera and species, Dr. Westerlund's useful 

 monograph 3 is followed, as far as that work is published ; and for 

 the Mollusca of the Madeiran Province, which Province is not 

 included in Westerlund, the work of Wollaston 4 has been used, and 

 the list of Mollusca of this Province is therefore printed separately at 

 the end of the general catalogue. 



I have closely followed the nomenclature of the most recent work, 

 that of Westerlund, but must not be supposed to acquiesce in it ; 

 I cannot forbear strongly protesting against the extraordinary 

 multiplication of names, due to certain continental authors. In no other 

 class of animals has hair-splitting been carried out to such a 

 mischievous and absurd extent. 5 It would involve the study of a 

 life, and intimate acquaintance with all the so-called species, to 

 unravel the gordian knots which have been tied. Any partial attempt 

 at correction in such a catalogue as this would be useless. A great 

 gain would be bestowed upon science if able conchologists would take 

 up special groups and, by careful study of the forms therein described, 

 synonymize them and reduce the number of species within approxi- 

 mately correct limits. 



1 Wallace, The Geographical Distribution of Animals, 2 vols., 1876. 



2 Paul Fischer, Manuel de Conchyliologie, 1887. 



3 Westerlund, Fauna der in der Palaarctischen Region lebenden Binnenconchylien, 

 1886-1889. 



4 T. V. Wollaston, Testacea Atlantica, or the Land and Freshwater Shells of the 

 Azores, Madeiras, Salvages, Canaries. Cape Verdes and Saint Helena, 1878. 



5 From the "Zoological Record" for 1888 may be quoted a few examples taken 

 from the most thoroughly worked countries in Europe. One author describes 8 new 

 Unionidas from France, and 2 from Savoy ; another, 6 new species of the same family from 

 Spain ; another, 22 new Mollusca from Hamburg ; another, 14 from Italy ; another, 

 4 new European Testacellae ; another, 8 new species of Helices of the group H. Raspaili, 

 from Corsica and Sardinia; another, 13 new Helices from the Alps and all this in 

 the year 1888 ! It may well be asked who are the scientific men, the conchologists of past 

 times who never saw these " species," or those who have "discovered " them ? 



