232 Wood/card card Sherbom — British Fossil Vertebra fa. 



tions of recent authors are generally adopted. Consequently there 

 are many changes, both of the earlier and of later names ; and some 

 of these innovations certainly smack a little of the pedantic. A 

 long-established and universally-adopted name is not readily sup- 

 planted by one of obscure origin, in obedience to some arbitrary rule 

 of priority, either in the labelling of collections or insertion in text- 

 books. In support of this contention, we note the substitution of 

 Microtus for the long-known and familiar genus Arvicola : the first 

 name having, it is said, a few months' priority of publication in a 

 comparatively unknown work. The latter name, however, has been 

 recognized by all British and European naturalists dating from the 

 commencement of the century to the present time ; and is found in 

 all works on natural history, and pal aeon tological text-books, where 

 its species are referred to. There is nothing to be gained, scientifi- 

 cally or otherwise, by disturbing a name so long and generally 

 accepted by the best writers on the Mammalia. However, these 

 innovations cause no inconvenience, for the discarded names are 

 readily found by cross-references placed in their due alphabetical 

 sequence in the text. The synonymy is copious, and far exceeds in 

 number the names accepted as valid ; and much pains have been 

 taken to trace every appellation a species has borne. 



The stratigraphical position, and all well-authenticated localities 

 whence derived, are given with each species. To some of the 

 Pleistocene mammals the number appended is overwhelming ; for 

 instance, nearly two hundred places in Great Britain and Ireland 

 are cited where remains of Elephas primigenius have been found. 



It is no exaggeration to assert that, as regards its special subject, 

 no such aid to lighten the labour of research for authorities and 

 other particulars relating to it has ever been prepared for the 

 benefit of vertebrate palaeontology, and the book should find a 

 place in every good reference library. 



The Catalogue has also the merit of being the first compilation 

 exclusively devoted to one natural division of our extinct fauna 

 published in distinct form ; and initiates a departure from the older 

 method of inclusion in one work of all the various classes ; and the 

 same plan might be adopted with equal advantage for other palasonto- 

 logical groups. 



It is matter of interest to note how much has been accomplished 

 in advancing our knowledge of. the British Fossil Vertebrata since 

 1854, the date of Morris's Catalogue; and the present work will, 

 approximately, enable us to do this. Morris enumerates 850 genera 

 of all classes of vertebrates, comprising 960 named species, and 35 

 unnamed as being then known. He gives few synonyms, and the 

 localities cited seldom exceed one to a species ; the whole occupying 

 48 pages of the Catalogue. But in the mean time more than 200 of 

 these species have been merged in others, and have disappeared 

 from our lists, the names only being found in the long roll of 

 synonyms. These, therefore, have to be deducted from the total of 

 the species then considered valid, thus reducing the number, as now 

 accepted, to 760.* 



* Species referred to Ichnites are not iucluded in the above numbers. 



