ON MOLLUSCA OF THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. 581 



of specimens, representing varieties and ages, in Dr. Lea's private collection 

 {ire well deserving of close study. Their owner shares the liberality of Mr. 

 Curaing in making them available for all purposes of scientific inquiry. 



The Smiths. Inst. has just issued from the press the first part of the 

 ' Bibliography of North American Conchology, previous to the year I860,' by 

 W. GK Binney, containing references to all printed information on North 

 American shells by native writers. It is divided into " A. American descrip- 

 tions of North American molluscs ; B. American descriptions of foreign 

 molluscs ; C. Descriptions of foreign species by American authors in foreign 

 works." The work is prepared with unusual care and completeness, and 

 with the accurate judgment which characterizes all Mr. Binney's writings. 

 It contains, under every separate work or paper, " a list of species therein 

 described or in any important manner referred-to, together with their syno- 

 nymy, locality, and the volume, page, plate, and figure relating to them." 

 The second part, containing similar references to American species described 

 by European writers, is now passing through the press. Mr. Binney has 

 most kindly sent the proofs to the writer (as far as p. 287), which have been 

 freely used in preparing this Report, and have supplied various important 

 sources of information. It undertakes to provide for the whole ^orth American 

 continent what has been here attempted for the West Coast ; and in much 

 greater detail, as not only the first description, but all subsequent quotations 

 are duly catalogued. It may be regarded as a complete index of references 

 to all works on North American malacology. The student, in making use 

 of it, will remember that it is only with the Pulmonates that Mr. Binney 

 professes an intimate acquaintance. For these the work may be regarded as 

 complete. But, in other departments of the science, only those shells which 

 are assigned by the authors to North America are quoted ; consequently a 

 large number of species are passed-over which are truly American, but are 

 assigned to other places, or described without locality. Also, species really 

 belonging to other faunas, but falsely attributed to North America, duly 

 appear as though genuine ; and the additional localities frequently assigned 

 by the authors (which are often the real habitats) are seldom quoted. More- 

 over the citations stop at Mazatlan ; consequently, the tropical fauna of the 

 West Coast is but imperfectly represented. Lastly, the authors are not pre- 

 sented in chronological or indeed in any other ostensible order ; but it is pro- 

 mised that the necessary information will be given in the index on the com- 

 pletion of the work. The student will further bear in mind that for many 

 reasons no second-hand reference can serve the same purpose as a consultation 

 of the original book. With these cautions the work will be found invaluable 

 by all who are engaged in working-out American species ; and great thanks 

 are due to Mr. Binney for undertaking the extreme labour of its compilation, 

 and to the Smiths. Inst. for supplying the expense of its publication. Probably 

 no such work has yet been printed on the malacology of any other country. 



Lastly, there is now in preparation a complete series of hand-books on 

 North American malacology, copiously illustrated with wood engravings, and 

 containing a digest of all that is known in each department. The marine 

 shells of the Atlantic are being described by Dr. Stimpson, who is now also 

 engaged in the dissection of the Freshwater Rostrifers ; the marine shells of 

 the Pacific are placed in the hands of the writer ; the Pulmonates will be 

 thoroughly worked-out by Mr. Binney, the Melaniala? by Mr. Try on, and 



67 



