524 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1032 



Verrill must plead guilty to being a " splitter." 

 He himself says that he has added " thirty 

 additional species " of Asterias, in the old, 

 broad sense, to " over twenty " previously 

 known from the Northwest Coast, " besides 

 twenty well-marked new varietal forms, or a 

 total of about seventy." In fact, the free use 

 of both subspecies and varieties has led to a 

 regrettable complexity of nomenclature, which 

 is at times almost if not quite quadrinomial. 

 Thus we have the starfish Lepiasterias epi- 

 chlora, with four subspecies, under one of 

 which, alasleensis, two varieties are recognized 

 carinella and siderea, and we must therefore 

 speak of these starfishes by means of four 

 names. There are further three varieties 

 listed (p. 139) regarding which we are not 

 told of what they are varieties, so we do not 

 know whether they are to be designated by 

 three names or by four. The distinction be- 

 tween subspecies and varieties is not clearly 

 made. On page lY, we are told that sub- 

 species are " bathymetrical or geographical 

 races," but on page 133 the range of Lepias- 

 terias epichlora is given as from Vancouver 

 to Yakutat and Dutch Harbor, while on page 

 13Y, the range of the subspecies alasleensis is 

 said to be practically the same. On page 138, 

 miliaris is said to be a new subspecies, but 

 throughout the description is referred to as a 

 variety. Under the head of varieties, Ver- 

 rill includes (p. 17) " local variations due to 

 unfavorable environments, sports, freaks, or 

 hybrids." And to these he thinks it necessary 

 or at least desirable to give distinctive names. 

 Of course, these matters are largely governed 

 by individual judgment, but it can not be 

 denied that such splitting tremendously com- 

 plicates the task of mastering the group in 

 which it is done. The present reviewer con- 

 siders it both unnecessary and undesirable. 



Including all of his new species, subspecies 

 and varieties, Verrill publishes in this volume, 

 some seventy new names. (Many have been 

 previously printed in a couple of preliminary 

 papers.) These names are as a rule well 

 chosen, euphonious and distinctive, indicating 

 some peculiarity of the form. Only nine are 

 names of persons, but eleven are geographical. 



There are also no fewer than seventeen new 

 generic names proposed, all of which are 

 worthy of commendation. 



The northwest coast starfishes, not Asteriidse, 

 are discussed very fully in the section pages 

 202 to 336. Such difiicult genera as Henricia 

 and Solasier are treated with skill and good 

 judgment and much light is thrown on the 

 interrelationship of the species in each genus. 

 The section also includes much important 

 morphological material and the discussion of 

 many nomenclatural questions. In his treat- 

 ment of these questions. Professor Verrill re- 

 veals not only a very extended knowledge of 

 the subject, but a delightfully catholic and 

 unprejudiced spirit. On nearly all important 

 points Verrill finds himself in accord with the 

 conclusions of Fisher, and even when he feels 

 obliged to disagree with that writer, the dis- 

 agreements are always most courteously ex- 

 pressed. The spirit in which all controverted 

 points are discussed is one of the most admira- 

 ble features of the book. 



The section on geographical distribution 

 (pp. 337-373) falls naturally into two parts. 

 The first deals with the region extending from 

 southern California to the Arctic Ocean. 

 Four distinct, though more or less overlapping, 

 f aunsB are recognized, the species belonging to 

 each being listed. The interrelationships of 

 these faunae, as well as their relation to those 

 of other regions, is fully discussed. The second 

 part of the section deals with the starfishes of 

 southern South America, and also includes a 

 long list of other extralimital starfishes, which 

 are partially " described, revised or figured " 

 in the work. The account of South American 

 species includes important changes in nomen- 

 clature, descriptions of new genera and some 

 discussion of the relationship of these genera 

 to those of the north. A complete list of all 

 the new genera proposed in the volume is 

 given on page 374, and following that is an 

 extended bibliography (pp. 374-388). A very 

 satisfactory index completes the volume (pp. 

 389^08). 



Professor Verrill is certainly to be congrat- 

 ulated upon the completion of this important 

 work, which has occupied him for several 



