Reviews—Cossmann’s Shells of the Paris Basin. 79 
Mr. Davis has done good service in amassing the series of facts, 
which will remain long after the personal equation has vanished in 
fuller knowledge; and we feel that at last there is a prospect of the 
British Upper Carboniferous fishes being speedily described and 
figured as they deserve to be. AN Sy Me 
TI.— Caratocur Intusrré pes Coguriies Fossines pe 1’ Kockne 
pEs Environs pE Paris. Par M. Cossmann. Annales de la 
Société Royale Malacologique de Belgique. Bruxelles, 1886— 
1892. 
HE appearance of the fifth and last fascicule of M. Cossmann’s 
important “Catalogue” affords a convenient opportunity of 
reviewing the whole work. Fasciculi I. and IIL. are devoted to the 
Pelecypoda; III. and IV. to the Scaphopoda and Gasteropoda; and 
Y. to the Pteropoda, Cephalopoda, Brachiopoda and a general supple- 
ment. The work is much more than a mere enumeration of the 
mollusca occurring in the Eocene beds of the Paris Basin; it con- 
tains diagnoses of the majority of the genera and species, the range 
in time of the latter, and new localities; whilst a large number of 
new generaand species are described. ach fascicule is accompanied 
by a number of carefully executed plates. 
M. Cossmann’s “ Catalogue ” really supplements the well-known 
works of M. Deshayes, and brings the whole up to date. The 
extent of the revision necessary to accomplish this, the critical 
knowledge possessed by the author in regard to living mollusca, 
and to bibliography, and the infinite pains he must have bestowed 
upon the work, cannot be fully appreciated except by those who 
institute careful comparisons between the old work and the new. 
It is not too much to say that the originality of the “Catalogue,” 
and the systematic and convenient manner in which the author has 
marshalled his facts, places his work in the front rank of malacological 
literature. It will always form a useful book of reference to students 
of Tertiary mollusca. In many respects it has modified the classi- 
fication of genera, and species of doubtful affinity have found 
convenient resting-places. Some genera which have hitherto com- 
prised the most miscellaneous assemblage of species, have been 
shorn of all save those having some legitimate affinity with the 
generic type. These changes, together with those brought about in 
enforcing the rules of nomenclature, have clothed certain of the 
commoner forms of Eocene mollusca with strange designations. 
The changing of names is always to be regretted, but if consistence 
and uniformity in nomenclature are ever to be attained the alteration 
in most instances is imperative; but in the case of the Catalogue 
before us the alterations of generic denominations, frequent as they 
are, are due to the careful zoological revision to which the species 
have been subjected, rather than to mere caprice on the author's 
part, in his interpretation of the so-called “laws of nomenclature.” 
In view of the opinions held by an influential section of continental 
malacologists, we can hardly blame the author for adopting “ pre- 
Linnean ” names, though from an English standpoint this proceeding 
