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7. T/ie Terrestrial Air-hreathing Molluscs of the TIniied States and 

 the adjacent Territories of North America; described and illustrated 

 by Amos Binney, edited by Augustus A. Gould, vol, 1, 360 pp., 8vo, 

 with 16 plates; vol. 2, 362 pp. ; (vol. 3 not yet issued, to be a volume 

 of plates.) Boston, 1851. Little and Brown, — These volumes are of 

 the highest honor to the lamented author, both as a contribution to 

 science and an example of private munificence seldom equalled. Near i 



ten thousand dollars will have been expended on the work when com- _ 



pleted: and the whole edition — 290 copies — is reserved for distribu- " 



tion. As the title implies, the work treats of molluscs, and not simply 

 of shells. *In addition to the description of species, it takes up the 

 anatomical structure of molluscs of the diiferent genera, and illustrates 

 this depaftment by plates of unusual finish and minute accuracy; it 

 treats of the habits and faculties of species; of their geographical dis- 

 tribution, and foci of origin, and of the introduction of those of foreign 

 countries into the United States. It corrects largely the synonymy of 

 the science showing numerous cases in which the names of Say and 

 other American writers have been overlooked even to the present lime, 

 by European authors. The beautiful dissections and anatomical draw- 

 ings of vol. i, are by Dr. J. Leidy of Philadelphia, who has contributed i 

 a chapter on the special anatomy of these molluscs. ' 



The death of Mr. Binnev was a sad loss to American science. As 



le of the founders of the Boston Natural History Society, as a con- 

 tributor to its Journal and Museum, as the possessor of an extensive sci- 

 entific library which he was constantly enlarging by the frequent addi- 

 tion of rare works, as a man of elegant taste as well as science, and 

 as a friend of all that was good, he was held in honorable and grateful 

 esteem in Boston, and in other parts of our land. These his last labors, 

 just now open to the world, will secure for his name the widest distinction. 

 At the death of Mr. Binney, the publication of this work was left by 

 his will in charge of Dr. Augustus A. Gould of Boston, and it could not 

 have fallen into better hands. Dr. Gould has brought out the work in 

 excellent style and has added to it many notes of value, besides giving 

 it his critical supervision. 



8. History of Propellers and Steam Navigation ivith Biographical 

 Sketches of the early Inventors ; by Robert Macfarlane, C.E. New 

 York: Geo. P. Putnam. 12 mo. pp. 144.— The object of Mr. Mac- 

 farlane's book is to furnish means of reference to inventors for a com- 

 parison of their schemes with similar contrivances already known or 

 proved valueless. Much waste of time and means may undoubtedly 

 be thus saved by a meritorious class of men whose efforts are fre- 

 quently expended in a wrong direction. The book is illustrated by 

 figures of various forms of paddle wheels, among which are the seve- 

 ral forms proposed by Mr. Ewbank as modifications of the usual rec- 

 tangular and fixed paddles now in use. 



An interesting sketch of the history of ocean steam navigation forms 

 the concluding chapter of the book. 



9. The Geological Observer ; by Sir Henry T. De la Beche, C-B., 

 F.R.S., &c., Director general of the Geological Survey of the United 

 Kingdom. London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans. 1851. 

 8vo. pp. 846.— This is not a reprint of the author's well known vol- 



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