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A' A TURE 



[March 4, i! 



occur, and relatively few range to other areas, but this 

 apparent distinctness in so vast a region is probably due 

 to the comparatively unexplored condition both of it and 

 the other oceans. Most of the genera are cosmopolitan 

 in their range, but the remarkable new genus Buskiella is 

 entirely confined to the abysses (2025 fathoms) of this and 

 the South Atlantic. In the South Atlantic Region the 

 two chief centres for specimens were the coast of Brazil 

 and the Cape. In the South Indian Region one of the 

 most striking features was the large proportion of species 

 pertaining to Kerguelen. The abundance of Annelids in 

 the deep water of the land-locked bays of this island was 

 remarkable, and many new forms are described there- 

 from. In the Australian Region the types found were in 

 many cases peculiar and novel ; here the branched Syllis, 

 one of tlie most remarkable discoveries of the Expedition, 

 was found. In the Japanese Region a series of remark- 

 able types were found, while comparatively few came 

 from the North Pacific, and the majority of the specimens 

 from the St)uth Pacific came from the confined waters of 

 the Straits of Magellan. 



In regard to bathymetrical distribution, the greatest 

 number of species occurred in the shallow water, 10 

 fathoms and under. The two regions ranging from 10 to 

 50 and from 50 to ico fathoms have each about the same 

 number of Annelids, and both are similar in respect to 

 new forms. In the depth between 100 and 200 fathoms 

 the number was less, but the proportion of new forms was 

 much higher ; while in depths between 200 and 500 

 fathoms almost all ths forms were new, and many be- 

 longed to new and remarkable genera ; between 500 and 

 600 fathoms the number fell to less than half that in the 

 previous group, but the majority were new. The number 

 found between 600 and 1000 fathoms include two known 

 species out of a list of 14. The four species occurring 

 between 1000 and 1200 fathoms are new. Those species 

 found between 1200 and 1500 fathoms are more than five 

 times as numerous as the last, and include only five known 

 forms, most of which, however, are found in shallow water 

 as well as at this great depth ; between 1 500 and 2000 

 fathoms all the species were new. The same is true of 

 those between 2000 and 2500 fathoms ; while in the 

 lowest depths, between 2500 and 3000 fathoms several 

 known forms occurred. The majority of the deep-sea 

 forms are tube-dwellers. 



Vol. XIII. opens with Part 35, Mr. Edgar A. Smith's 

 " Report on the Lamellibranchiata." On the return of 

 the Expedition all the Mollusca were placed in the hands 

 of the Rev. R. Boog Watson for description, but after 

 separating out the different species, and labelling the 

 greater part of the known forms, Mr. Watson, seeing the 

 immense extent of the collection, determined to limit his 

 descriptive work to the Gasteropoda and Schaphopoda, 

 and Mr. Edgar A. Smith then consented to prepare the 

 ■' Report on the Bivalves." The author apologises for 

 not using the name Pelecypoda for this group, urging that 

 it has not only priority but also is more in conformity 

 with the names in use for the other classes. When in 

 1S24 De Blainville first used the term Lamellibranchs, 

 though it is true the class for which it was used was not 

 characterised, still the genera placed under it were so well- 

 known, that the name itself may be said to carry its own 

 explanation, and this might fairly secure the priority for 



a well-known and almost universally accepted name, 

 which in part by accident it would seem is used in this 

 important Report. 



In many respects the collection of Lamellibranchs was 

 disappointing. Only some 500 species were obtained, and 

 of these five were represented by along series of specimens, 

 and in many cases the species were represented by only 

 detached or single valves. When great depths were 

 reached some of the forms found were of particular in- 

 terest, but it is a remarkable fact that only one distinctly 

 new generic type was discovered. The greatest depth at 

 which Lamellibranchs were found was in the mid North 

 Pacific Ocean at 2900 fathoms, but two species, Semele 

 {Abra) profimdorum, n.sp., and Cnllocardia pacijica, n.sp., 

 were found. Some of the species are noted as found not 

 only at widely distant localities but also at very different 

 depths. The Lamellibranch fauna of the deepest parts 

 of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is not of a very extra- 

 ordinary and certainly not of a special character, and it 

 would appear clear that the deeper the dredgings the 

 fewer the species found. The memoir is illustrated by 

 25 plates, executed in a very creditable manner by the 

 Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. 



Part 36 is a " Report on the Gephyrea," by Dr. E. 

 Selenka, the well-known Professor of Zoology in the Uni- 

 versity of Erlangen. The number of species (28) collected 

 was small, and they belonged to known genera ; ic were 

 undescribed. The habitat and distribution of some are of 

 special interest ; formspreviouslyknownas littoral have been 

 dredged from great depths ; it would appear probable that 

 the tube-inhabiting Gephyrea occur especially at the greater 

 depths, where as yet has beenfound onlya single example of 

 the free-living forms. Four plates illustrate this Report, on 

 one of which the strange male of Boncllia viridis is figured, 

 with its till now overlooked curious segmental organs. 



Part 37 is a " Report on the Schizopoda," by Prof. G. 

 O. Sars, of Copenhagen. The collection made turned 

 out extremely rich and of very special interest, containing 

 several most remarkable new types, and greatly increasing 

 our knowledge of the morphology and affinities of the 

 group. In an introductory note the subject of terminology 

 is dwelt on ; in a note on the morphology of the group 

 the author decides for the present to " assign to this group 

 the rank of a distinct tribe or sub-order of Decapoda." 

 This sub-order occupies as it were the most primitive posi- 

 tion within the division of the Podophthalmia, containing 

 apparently the least modified forms, in which the original 

 characters distinguishing the progenitors of the whole 

 division would seem to exhibit least change. 



In an appendix to the Report some interesting details 

 are given of some ecto- and endo-parasites found in the 

 Schizopods ; 38 plates, drawn by the author with the 

 aid of the camera lucida, represent all the new species ; 

 the drawings are very highly finished, and have been 

 clearly and beautifully printed. It may be noted that the 

 new genera and species described in the Report were 

 briefly characterised by the author in the Transactions of 

 the Christiania Scientific Society for 1SS3. 



We have pleasure in again noticing that these splendid 

 contributions to zoological knowledge have been edited 

 and seen through the press with wonderful expedition 

 and accuracy by Mr. John Murray, whose labours as 

 Editor now seem coming to a close. 



