OcTOBER 6, 1899.] 
pointed out above, there are a few omissions. 
There is, of course, room for diversity of 
opinion concerning the validity of some of the 
species which are given recognition, but no one 
can be personally familiar with the characters, 
history and synonomy of such a multitude of 
forms, and all that the author could do was to 
take the latest revision of each group as his 
guide. In adopting this course he has done 
all that could be expected and has produced a 
valuable résumé of the labors of specialists in 
many groups. 
In fact, too much can hardly be said in favor 
of the catalogue. It representstan enormous 
amount of painstaking labor and will long re- 
main a monument to the industry, patience and 
bibliographical skill of its author. It is indis- 
pensable to the student of mammals and its 
chief drawback is, perhaps, its high price (66 
Marks), which may put the book beyond the 
reach of some who need it most. 
T. S. PALMER. 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
The Genera and Species of Blastoidea, with a list 
of the Specimens in the British Museum of Nat- 
ural History. By F. A. BATHER. London. 
1899. 8vo. Pp. x + 70. 
This list ‘‘attempts to provide a complete 
index to every name that has ever been applied 
to areal or supposed Blastoid genus or species.”’ 
It also gives the names now considered valid, 
and the synonyms with ‘cross-references from 
the latter to the former.’ It cites the literature, 
‘the bibliographic details being placed under 
the name now valid. It catalogues all the 
specimens of Blastoidea contained in the Geo- 
logical Department of the British Museum,’’ 
and designates the specimens of historical in- 
terest, the types and figured specimens. 
Bather’s catalogue, like all of his work, is 
very detailed. The bibliographic references 
are not always mere title citations, but often 
give the important conclusions of writers, par- 
ticularly those of synonymy. The list, how- 
ever, ‘is in no sense a revision’ of the Blas- 
toidea. 
The important change in this list is the reten- 
tion of Nucleocrinus, Conrad, 1842, in place of 
Eleacrinus, Roemer, 1851.  Orbitremites, a 
SCIENCE. . 
495 
nomen nudum of Gray, 1840, was established by 
T. & T. Austin, 1842, and, therefore, displaces 
Granatocrinites, Troost, 1849 (nom. nud.), 
Granatocrinus, Hall, 1862, and Etheridge and 
Carpenter, 1886. Orophocrinus, von Seebach, 
1864, although in general use, should be dis- 
placed by Dimorphicrinus, d’Orbigny, 1849. 
Bather does not make this change, although he 
disapproves of Etheridge’s and Carpenter’s rea- 
son for rejecting this name, namely, Dimor- 
phicrinus, ‘‘has never been adopted by paleon- 
tologists on account of the erroneous and in- 
complete nature of his generic diagnosis.’’ On 
the same ground other names now in use can 
be rejected. The reviewer prefers to accept 
Dimorphicrinus. 
The total number of specimens of Blastoidea 
in the British Museum is 1,223, representing 73 
species out of a total of about 166 listed species. 
‘‘ These figures speak for themselves. How- 
ever numerous may be the specimens of Blas- 
toidea in other museums, there can scarcely be 
any collection so representative of the class as 
a whole, or so rich in specimens of the highest 
scientific importance, as in that of the British 
Museum.’’ 
CHARLES SCHUCHERT. 
U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
Grundlinien der Maritimen Meteorologie. Von 
Proressor Dr. W. Kopren, Abtheilungs- 
Vorsteher an der Deutschen Seewarte. Ham- 
burg, Verlag von G. W. Neumayer Nach- 
folger. 1899. 8vo. Pp. vi+ 838. 
There has for some time been need of just 
such a book as Dr. Képpen has now given us. 
We have a brief and elementary presenta- 
tion of the fundamental principles of marine me- 
teorology, arranged by a master of the subject, 
in attractive form. While the book is intended 
especially for seamen, and as an introduction 
to the more advanced Segelhandbiicher of the 
German Naval Observatory at Hamburg, stu- 
dents of meteorology in general will find it ad- 
mirably suited to their own use. There are 
six chapters, the subjects of which are as fol- 
lows: I., instruments; II., the correlation of 
the weather elements ; III., the periodic varia- 
tions of temperature, pressure, etc. ; IV., the 
geographic distribution of weather phenomena, 
