89 



NOTE. 



Limnaea parva.— I observe that Caziot, in his recent (1903) account of the 

 moiUisca of Corsica, has proposed Li)itnaca pan'a as a new name for L. pai-viila, 

 Locard, preoccupied. There is, however, a much earher L. farra, Lea, found in 

 America, and just now re-established by Mr. F. C. Baker as a valid species. The 

 European species, if considered valid, must have another name. 



T. D. A. COCKEKELL. 



CURRENT LITERATURE. 



Iconographia MoUuscorum P'ossilium in tellure Terliaia Hungariae, Croatiae, 

 Slavoniae, Dalmatiae, Bosniae, Herzevegoviae, Serbiae, et Bulgariae inventorum. 

 Edidit S. Brusina. . . . Atlas (xxx tabalarum . . . volumen). 4°. Agram, 1902. 



When Dr. C. L. F. Sandberger was publishing between 1870 and 1875 his monu- 

 mental work "Die Land-und Siisswasser-Conchylien der Vorwelt," the Tertiary beds 

 of south-eastern Europe were practically unexplored and their fossil conchology 

 unknown. Since then, almost entirely thanks to Prof. Brusina, a wonderful assem- 

 blage of fossil shells from that district has been revealed to students. 



Among thcMiiore important of Prof. Brusina's works is the one of which the 

 alternative title in French reads : " Materiaux pour la faune malacologique neogene 

 de la Dalmatie, de la Croatie," &c. 



This was published in 1897 by the Jugoslavenska Akademija znanosti i umjetnosti 

 at Agram. It contained 21 plates accompanied by short letterpress descriptions of 

 the species figured. 



The present work is considered by the author as the sec(jnd part of that publica- 

 cation. It consists of 30 plates accompanied simply by explanations of the figures, 

 while for descriptions the student is referred to the author's previous publications. 

 This is unfortunate, for the lack of descriptions detracts considerably from the value of 

 the book, but, as the author explains in his preface, '■ Omnis viribus contendam, ut 

 primo quoque tempore conchyliorum descriptionem conficiam, sed e.xsisiit quaestio 

 subdifficilis, num subsidia ad libruni divulgandum mihi parare possim." Meantime 

 here are these magnificent plates which cannot fail to be of the utmost interest and 

 use to all interested in the study of conchology, who have it in their power to assist in 

 the solution of the " questio subdiflicilis " by their " subsidia." 



Among the most interesting forms figured are various species of the happily- 

 named Orygoceras, which was discovered and named by Prof, Brusina in 1882. 

 These small shells occur in marls associated with numerous examples of species of 

 Mclanopst:^, and are characteristic of the upper Tertiaries of South-eastern Europe. 

 Their exact aftinities are unknown and almost unsurmiseable. Brusina places them in a 

 family by themselves next to the Otiiiidac and to Valeticicniiesia, to which genus despite 

 the very opposite form of the shell he considers it related. Fischer, on the other 

 hand, in his " Manuel " places them doubtfully with the Valvatiiiae. Neither 

 position can be substantiated. 



Another abundant form typical of the region is Coiii^eria, which is represented by 

 many species, as also is the better-known Drcissensia. The latter evidently had its 

 home in this region and spread thence westwards reaching the British area in holo- 

 cene times, being found fossil at Clifton Hampden, while Con^eria appears never to 

 have roamed far. 



