MELVILL: THE PRINCIPLES OF NOMENCLATURE. 465 
I have now touched upon, and given the main heads of 
all the leading codes of nomenclature of Zoology that have been 
propounded.* 
Das TIERREICH. 
The rules of the German society were drawn up especially 
with a view to the compilation of ‘‘Das Tierreich,” the forth-_ 
coming synopsis of all animal nature, now begun in Germany, 
a work whose importance it is impossible to guage at once if 
it be well carried out. It is to combine a comprehensive 
series of volumes, or rather Encyclopedias, each volume of 
which will deal systematically with a given order of animals. 
While it is certain the work will be thoroughly and most 
efficiently carried out, the wish is still allowable that such a 
‘magnum opus’ could have assumed an zxz~ernational character. 
The general editorship has been given to Dr. F. E. Schulze, 
who will be assisted by a committee. Every division of the 
animal kingdom has its editor. We will only now cite two: for 
Brachiopoda, associated with Mollusca, Professor F. Bloch- 
mann, of Rostock, and for Mollusca Dr. W. Kobelt, of Schwann- 
heim. Here we can only congratulate ourselves that the work 
will fall into such good hands, and we would wish the talented 
authors all success in so vast an undertaking. I may incident- 
ally mention that Dr. David Sharp, F.R.S., in estimating known 
species of the animal kingdom at 386,000, puts the mollusca 
at 50,000. I cannot help thinking this an excessive figure. It 
may be that so many have been described—it is not so prob- 
able that they are all distinct. There may, however, be 
35,000 to 38,000 undoubted species of recent mollusca. 
It is proposed, with regard to ‘‘ Das Tierreich,” to enumer- 
ate all the insufficiently described and doubtful forms, varieties, 
and sub-species, with the geographical distribution, likewise giv- 
ing the synonymy, which will be made as complete as possible. 
*Since the above words were penned, the “‘ Merton” Code of Rules of Zoological 
Nomenclature has been published (in November, 1896), by Lord Walsingham, F.R.S., 
and Mr. Hartley Durrant. ; 
27/8/97 KE 
