12 THE NAUTILUS. 



ber of species was first described from there, and in critical researches 

 on other Indo-Pacific faunas, constant reference to and comparison 

 with Philippine topotypes is necessary. Several years ago Elera 

 published a catalogue of the fauna, compiled from previous mono- 

 graphs, etc., but without new material or critical knowledge of the 

 mollusks themselves. Dr. Hidalgo has given many years to the 

 study of the Philippine fauna and has condensed his results in the 

 catalogue before us. 3121 species are admitted, and 704 others, 

 cited from the Philippines on insufficient grounds, are enumer- 

 ated. Those species actually seen by the author are indicated by a 

 *, and it will be noticed that a large majority are so marked. This 

 gives the records an authenticity far beyond that of a mere compila- 

 tion, and is a feature of special value since many of the former 

 Philippine citations rested upon Cumingian records only. A figure 

 of each species is cited. This is not only a convenience, but of great 

 value as showing the exact form intended, a significant point in these 

 days of nomenclature changes. In his views of specific limits, Hi- 

 dalgo takes the middle course, conservative as Crosse and von 

 Martens may be said to have been, but not reactionary as Tryon was 

 in the earlier volumes of his Manual. The use of genera is open to 

 some criticism, from the retention of names such as Triton, Vertagus, 

 etc., now generally held to be untenable. The localities of each 

 form are fully recorded, most of these records being new. 



The typography of the volume is excellent. A portrait of the 

 author is given as frontispiece. 



Dr. Hidalgo proposes to give in the second part of the Catalogo, 

 an enumeration of the land and fresh water mollusks. These cata- 

 logues do not replace the more extensive monograghic account of the 

 fauna which is appearing at intervals in the handsomely illustrated 

 Obras Malacologicas of the same author. The elaborate design of 

 the latter renders its publication a work of many years. Meantime 

 those interested in Indo-Pacific faunas will find the Catalogo one of 

 the most useful of the many scholarly works we owe to the disting- 

 uished Professor of Malacology of the Madrid Museum. H. A. P. 



Catalogue of the Land- and Fresh-Water Mollusca of 

 Taiwan (Formosa). — By Henry A. Pilsbry and Y. Hirase (Proc. 

 A. N. S., Phila., 1905). In the island of Formosa 128 species of 

 land shells are now known, 28 of them described in this paper. 

 There are 26 species of fresh water mollusks. The affinities of the 

 mollusks are chiefly with those of China, though there is some affinity 

 to the Ryukyuan fauna. 



