March 16, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



173 



fessor Whituej^'s chief postulates is unten- 

 able. 



Another postulate, and the one most essen- 

 tial to his general theory, is equallj' at variance 

 with the ordinarj- belief of men, and is, in our 

 opinion, equally erroneous. It will be consid- 

 ered in the third and final part of this article. 



AMERICAN PALEOZOIC FOSSILS. 



Miller, S. A. The American paleozoic fossils : a 

 catalogue of the genera and species (etc ) . Cin- 

 cinnati, the author, 1877, 188:3. 16-1-334 p. 8°. 



This second edition of Miller's catalogue of 

 American paleozoic fossils consists of the ori- 

 ginal list issued in 1877, with a consecutively- 

 paged supplement of some ninetj' pages. The 

 work is essentiallj- a catalogue of genera and 

 species, with names of authors, dates, places 

 of publication, groups of rocks in which the 

 species are found, and the etymology and sig- 

 nification of the names applied to them. 

 There is also an introduction to the strati- 

 graphical geology of the paleozoic rocks, a 

 chapter on the construction and application of 

 names in paleontology (contributed b}' Prof. 

 E. W. Claypole) , and an explanatoiy preface 

 to the original, and to the supplementaiy part. 

 It is needless to dilate on the usefulness of a 

 work of this kind, which commends itself at 

 once to the notice of working naturalists, even 

 those not especially devoted to paleontological 

 studies. Catalogues and bibliographies, even 

 when of inferior execution, are always wel- 

 come to the student as labor-saving tools, and 

 when well done are invaluable. The testimony 

 of experts in this case is to the effect that the 

 work has been done with care and complete- 

 ness ; though, as in all such catalogues, it would 

 be strange if there were not some omissions. 

 In the way of criticism, we should saj' that the 

 addition of the number of the page to that of 

 the volume, or to its abbreviated title, would 

 have been little additional labor to the indus- 

 trious compiler, and would save much time to 

 the person using the work as a means of refer- 

 ence, especialh' to old works which are often 

 destitute of an index. Furthermore, except 

 in the case of confessedly absolute synonyms, 

 we believe it is better to express the compiler's 

 view, that a certain generic or specific name 

 is merely the equivalent of another, by a mark 

 of interrogation preceding the sign of equalitj' 

 and the supposed prior name. In this waj- 

 there is less liabilitj' to error in matters about 

 which authors are not universally agi'eed, than 

 when a positive statement is made on one or 



the other side It would also be well if a 

 bibliography of the works cited in the list, 

 often by titles so condensed as to be diflflcult 

 of recognition by those unfamiliar with pale- 

 ontological literature, were to be added to 

 the volume. These, however, are suggestions 

 rather than criticisms ; and we may supplement 

 them b}' further suggesting that naturalists 

 would be under still greater obligations to Mr. 

 Miller, should his time and inclinations lead 

 him to prepare similar catalogues for the later 

 geolosfical formations. 



AUSTRALIAN CRUSTACEA. 



Catalogue of the Australian stalk and sessile-eyed 

 Crustacea. By William A. Haswell. Syd- 

 ney, 1882. 24-1-324 p., 3 pi. 8°. 



The Australian museum has recently issued 

 a list of Australian Crustacea, much after the 

 pattern of the list of New-Zealand Crustacea, 

 published six years ago. The present work is 

 largely a compilation ; the author for some rea- 

 son usuall}' preferring to copy the descriptions 

 of authors, even when specimens were at hand, 

 while the sj'nonym^' exhibits manj' proofs of a 

 like treatment. There occur to us several 

 species which should have been inserted in the 

 list, but which appear to have escaped Mr. 

 Haswell: these are, — 



Paramicippa affinis Miers. 



Halimus auritus Edwards. — (Pt. Philip, Kinahan, 

 Proc. roy. Dublin sac, i. 117, 1S5S.) 



Lambrus latii'ostris Miers. 



Leitocheira bispinosa Kinahan. 



Pilumnopeus ci'asslmanus A. Milne-Edwards. 



Pilumnus deflexus A. Milne-Edwards. 



Neptunus rugosus A. Milne-Edwards. 



Thelphusa aiigustifrons A. Milne-Edwards. 



Tlielphusa crassa A. Milne-Edwards. 



Gelasimus longidigitiim Kingsley. 



Gelasimus annulipes Edwards. 

 ■ Ocypoda fabricii Edwards. 



Ooypoda convexus Qiioy et Gaimard. 



Pachygrai^sus transversus Gibbes (P. levimanus 

 Stimps. ). 



Heterograpsus crenulafcus Edwards. 



Cyclograpsus tasmanicus Jacquinot et Lucas, 



Macrophthalnius dilitatus Edwards. 



Macrophtlialmus definitus White. 



Calcinus latens. 



Alpbeus bidens Edwards. 



(Alpheus thetis White is merely mentioned, but 

 not in such a manner as to imply that it belonged to 

 the Australian fauna, as in reality it does.) 



Still, leaving these deficiencies, the work 

 will probablj- have a certain value for the stu- 

 dents of Australia, as it brings together in a 

 compact form descriptions of a large jjropor- 

 tion of the Crustacea of the antipodean conti- 

 nent. J. S. Kingsley. 



