Reviews—Cossmann’s Shells of the Paris Basin. ce, 
The diagnosis now established is based upon LE. pellucida and its allies; 
in thus limiting the characters of the genus, it becomes evident that 
Erycina does not exist in modern seas; the so-called H. Geoffroyi, 
living in the Mediterranean, is in reality a Kellyia. Venericardia is 
regarded as a section of Cardita, but it is impossible in the present 
state of our knowledge to distinguish one from the other; the hinge 
in both varies by the inclination of the teeth, following the elongation 
of the shell, and we have yet to learn that this was accompanied by 
any material modification in the structure of the animal. The author 
agrees with the alteration of Pectunculus into Axinea; but for some 
unexplained reason the former name is retained in his subsequent 
work, ‘‘ Révision sommaire de la faune du Terrain Oligocene Marin 
aux Hnvirons d’Ktampes,” 1891, p. 40. By the adoption of Fischer’s 
views in regard to Pecten, that genus is said not to occur in the 
Paris Basin, the majority of the species hitherto included therein 
being now termed Chlamys. 
Fascicule 1II. devoted to the Scaphopoda, and the non-pulmonate 
holostome Gasteropoda is prefaced by a few remarks on the classifi- 
tion and method of description adopted in the work. The author, 
like his confréres, in illustrating the Gasteropoda, prefers to draw 
them upside down (7.e. with the mouth directed upwards and apex 
downwards), as he believes this position places the more interesting 
phenorena, from a generic point of view, in clearer light. In 
regard to the description of the ornamentation of the whorls of 
the shell, he truly remarks that the terms “transverse” and 
“Jongitudinal” are often misapplied and mistaken one for the 
other; he therefore proposes to use the term ‘axial” for all 
ornamentation parallel (or nearly so) to the direction of the axis, 
i.e. that usually formed along the lines of growth of the shell; and 
the word “spiral” for all ornament parallel to the line of super- 
position of the whorls of the spire. Special reservations are, of 
course, made for such genera as Patella, Fissurella, and Hipponyx. 
The interesting genus Pleurotomaria is represented in the Paris 
Basin by one species, P. concava, Desh., but it is rare. The name 
Calliomphalus is proposed for those species having close affinity with 
the so-called Turbo squamulosus of Lamarck. The classification 
adopted for the Trochide is similar to that of Dr. Fischer; and 
Watson’s genus Basilissa is represented by five species. The 
Scalidee are arranged mainly on the lines proposed by M. de Boury, 
but the non-publication by that authority on this family, of figures 
illustrating several of his MSS. species, has led M. Cossmann to 
supply the want, and to give a particularly useful illustrated account 
of the whole. He proposes a new genus, Canaliscala, which is 
characterized by the possession of a short canal, and of which 
Scalaria heteromorpha of Deshayes is the type. The author does not 
replace Paludina by Vivipara, though he cites the latter in synonymy. 
Fascicule IV. is devoted to the siphonostome and pulmonate 
Gasteropoda, and there can be no question that the author’s study of 
this section—especially the first division—has been very thorough. 
The Cerithide of the Paris Basin were in a state of chaos before 
