428 Revieios — Italian Seismological Society. 



the evidence cannot be i-egarded as more than sufficient to enable us 

 to form a clearer conception of the latest stages in tlie development 

 of the British Flora. A. C. S. 



III. — The Genkra and Species of Blastoidea, with a List of 

 the Specimens in the British Museum (Natural History). By 

 F. A. Bather, M.A., F.G.S., of the Geological Department, 

 pp. X, 70. (London : printed by order of the Trustees, 1899.) 



\K. WOODWARD states in the Preface that " this w^ork was 

 originally designed to form one of a series of 'Lists of Types 

 and Figured Specimens,' similar to that issued last year for the 

 Fossil Cephalopoda," but in this comparatively small group it was 

 found possible to extend the work into a list of the Genera and 

 Species of Blastoidea, with an account of the Specimens in the 

 British Museum (Natural History). The scope of the work is well 

 expressed by the author in his Introduction. " First, it attempts 

 to provide a complete index to every name that has ever been 

 applied to a real or supposed Blastoid genus or species. Secondly, 

 it indicates which of those names are now considered valid, and 

 which are believed to be synonyms, giving cross-references from 

 the latter to the former. Thirdly, it cites the literature bearing 

 upon the nomenclature of each species, the bibliographic details 

 being placed under the name now valid. Fourthly, it catalogues 

 all the specimens of Blastoidea contained in the Geological Depart- 

 ment of the British Museum (Natural History) at the time of 

 writing (March, 1899). Lastly, it designates more particularly 

 those among them that are of historical interest, as type-specimens 

 or as having been figured, and supplies full references to the 

 literature bearing on each individual specimen." 



According to the author the British Museum collection contains 

 1,223 specimens, representing eighteen out of the twenty-two genera 

 assigned to the Blastoidea ; and considering the number of types, 

 figured specimens, and specimens of historical interest in the 

 Museum, we think the author is fully justified in stating that "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 is that of the British Museum." 



The preparation of such a work entails an enormous amount of 

 tedious labour and research, and every worker in this group will, 

 we are sure, be most grateful to Mr. Bather for compiling, and to the 

 Trustees of the Museum for issuing, such a useful list. 



IV. — BOLLETTINO BELLA SoCIETA SiSMOLOGICA ItALIANA, Vol. IV, 



1898. 



WITH its 44 national and 9 foreign members, aided by a grant 

 from the Government, the Italian Seismological Society has 

 carried on its useful work for a fourth year. The last volume 

 contains 28 papers. 



The invention and improvement of recording instruments continue 

 to engage the attention of Italian seismologists. Dr. Agamennone 



