40 Reviews — Frifsch's Permian Fishes of Bohemia. 



we read of his social intercourse witli all the celebrated men of 

 those days. To the general reader this portion will especially appeal, 

 for here we find interesting letters and anecdotes of Turner, Carlyle, 

 Dickens, and many more distinguished men in every branch of life. 



In the second volume we come to Owen's connection with the 

 British Museum, and a special chapter is devoted to the account of 

 his efforts and ultimate triumph in the removal of the Natural 

 History Collections to a special building. Here are reproduced 

 Owen's original plan and Waterhouse's first modification of the 

 same ; in both of these we recognise a building intended to serve 

 primarily as a Museum but also provided with lecture theatre and 

 teaching collections. How the present architectural structure, devoid 

 of so many of the best features of the original design arose, is not 

 explained. 



Appended to the second volume is an interesting account tracing 

 the development of Anatomical Science, and Owen's relation to the 

 same, by Prof. Huxley. This is written in such a manner that it 

 may be easily followed by the non-scientific reader. It seems a pity, 

 for the sake of the latter, that this was not rather placed as au 

 introduction to Vol. I. 



The perusal of this work by the public would do much to dispel 

 the favourite representations of scientific professors being necessarily 

 dry old bores, for Owen was one of the most charming of men, and, 

 in addition to his great qualifications as a scientist, was pre-eminently 

 calculated to shine in society. The recognition of his social qualities 

 may be seen all through his life, both by Royalties and Commoners ; 

 and we find him being entertained by the Prince of Wales, and on 

 other occasions by his fellow scientists, at social meetings where 

 every kind of " ology " was barred. 



The two volumes contain some charming portraits of Owen, 

 especially the frontispiece to the second volume ; there are also 

 illustrations of Owen's most important discoveries. As an Appendix 

 we find a most imposing list of his distinctions, and a complete 

 Catalogue of his works, numbering in all about 650. M. F. W. 



III. — The Permian Fishes of Bohemia. 

 Fauna der Gaskohle und der Kalksteine der Permformation 

 Bohmens. By Prof. Dr. Anton Fritsch. Band III. Heft 3. 

 Pp. 81-104, Pis. 113-122. Prague, 1894. 



DR. ANTON FRITSCH has just issued another part of his well- 

 known work on the Bohemian Gas-coal (Lower Permian). 

 For some time he has been treating of the fishes, and now he is 

 well advanced in the description of the Palseoniscidee. The present 

 instalment is as exhaustive as ever, and we cannot but admire the 

 care with which the author turns to good use even the most 

 fragmentary specimens. 



Before treating of undoubted Palseoniscidse, Dr. Fritsch places 

 a section " IncertaB sedis " to which he assigns an imperfectly known 

 fish under the name of Acentrophorus dispersus, sp. nov. If the 



