PREFACE. 



No one can be more sensible than the compilers of this list how far it falls 

 short of its original aim, a record of all works touching upon Brachiopoda. 

 Besides the literature of existing species there is scarcely a paper dealing with 

 Palaeozoic or Secondary Rocks that does not incidentally mention the occurrence 

 of Brachiopoda, but such only are here entered as show this by the title, or have 

 been seen by some of our contributors. To pervade the entire mass of geological 

 literature in search of such references would occupy many years of unremitting 

 labour, and would, further, produce too cumbrous a list to be of service to the 

 student with limited leisure. 



We believe that the present list includes every work of importance, and that 

 additions will be only of future publications or of works containing mere casual 

 references to Brachiopoda. "We have derived considerable assistance from the 

 ' Catalogue of Scientific Papers,' edited by the Royal Society, but have been 

 careful to avoid such faults as there are in that valuable compilation, viz. the 

 misleading repetition of works of joint authorship (without indication of priority 

 of names in original text), the absence of the series-numbers (an essential part of 

 many references), and incorrect dates. In the last matter we have doubtless 

 made many errors ourselves, for the actual date of publication being usually lost in 

 binding serials, the date of reading, or the year of completion of the volume alone 

 remains in many cases, neither being the true date. Precision in this respect, 

 however, cannot be always attained, some publishers ante-dating and others post- 

 dating the works they issue. 



In conclusion we beg to thank those who have assisted us in our work, 

 especially Dr. L. G. de Koninck, M. Gr. Dewalque, M. P. de Loriol, M. T. Lefevre, 

 Mr. S. A. Miller, Prof. J. Hall, and others. 1 



1 A portion of this list of works was published by one of us in the ' Annales de la Societe Malaco- 

 logique de Belgique,' tome xii, 1877. 



