134 Reviews — A. Smith Woodtvard — 



aid. We have no other modern book dealing in detail with the 

 whole group of Fossil Fishes, from all parts of the world ; and 

 as a work of reference these four volumes may be regarded as 

 a companion of the "Eecherches surles Poissons Fossiles," by Louis 

 Agassiz, which was completed in 1843. The simple and unosten- 

 tatious title of *' Catalogue " under which Dr. Smith Woodward's 

 work is published is misleading. It is true that it includes a catalogue 

 of the British Museum Fossil Fishes, but it is much more than 

 appears from the title : it is a critical revision of this interesting 

 but difficult assemblage of fossils, bringing together the work of 

 the last fifty years, which has been scattered through various 

 publications in all parts of the world. Moreover, to each species, 

 genus, and larger group characteristic descriptions are given, as 

 well as their synonyms, and this renders the so-called "Catalogue" 

 a memoir of the Fossil Fishes which will be of permanent value, and 

 cannot fail to be the w^ork of reference for a long time to come. 

 The British Museum possesses an unrivalled series of fossil fishes, 

 accumulated during many years, and including several well-known 

 and valuable collections. Free access to such an extensive collection 

 was a necessity before a task, like that undertaken by Dr. Smith 

 Woodward, could be entered upon with any hope of success ; but 

 in the work now before us the author has shown how fully he 

 has been able to take advantage of these materials, by producing 

 a memoir which is an honour to himself and to the institution under 

 whose auspices it is published. 



It is now twelve years since the first volume was issued, the 

 second volume appearing in 1891, and the third volume in 1895 ; 

 each of these being noticed in this Magazine.^ Now, after an 

 interval of six years, we welcome the fourth volume, which completes 

 the work. 



The first volume is entirely devoted to the fossil Elasmobranchii, 

 the Sharks and Eays as we ordinarily understand them, and is thus 

 complete in itself; but the fishes with shagreen-like scales and 

 spines to their fins, known as the Acanthodii, seem to bridge over 

 the gap between ordinary Sharks and certain forms that were 

 formerly classed as ganoids. Although the Acanthodii are included 

 by Dr. Smith Woodward in the Elasmobranchii, yet he has found 

 it convenient to place them at the beginning of his second volume, 

 which also contains the Holocephali (Chimaeroids), the Ostracodermi 

 {Cephalaspis and Pteras'pis), the Dipnoi (Coccosteus, Bipterus, 

 Geratodus, etc.), and a part of the Teleostomi. The last-named 

 subclass embraces all the ganoids not included in the above- 

 mentioned groups, as well as the true bony fishes or Teleosteans. 

 The Teleostomi are divided by Dr. Smith Woodward into the 

 Crossopterygii, or those fishes with lobed or fringed fins, and the 

 Actinopterygii, those with ordinary non-lobed fins. The Crossop- 

 terygii are treated of in the second volume, as well as the Palgeozoic 

 Actinopterygii belonging to the Chondrostei, namely, Palcsoniscus, 

 Platysomus, and their allies. The third volume is practically an 

 1 See Geol. Mag., 1889, p. 366 ; 1891, p. 132 ; and 1896, p. 124. 



