4344 Notices of New Books. 



Articulata; by George Newport, F.R.S. On the Genera Volutell a 

 and Cymbeola ; by Dr. J. E. Gray. Observations on Notamia bur- 

 saria ; by G. H. Kingsley, M.D. Description of a new Species of 

 Helix from Van Diemen's Land ; by Lovell Reeve, F.L.S., &c. On 

 the Colours of Plants ; by M. Martens: extracted from the ' Bulletins 

 de l'Acad. Royale de Bruxelles,' vol. xx. pt. 1, p. 232. 



The paper by Professor Sedgwick, with its elaborate title, contains 

 not one word of instruction for the naturalist. Messrs. Selby, John- 

 ston, Babington and Balfour have doubtless been seduced into the 

 publication of these 12 pages, thinking the Professor's name a great 

 " catch," and well worth the extra 25. 6d. charged for this number. 

 How exactly was this the case with Mr. Loudon, in the once admira- 

 ble old ' Magazine of Natural History,' in the memorable Vigors and 

 Swainson controversy! It was first announced with a "Look here!" 

 then it was treated as mere respectable matter ; then the combatants 

 were requested to be brief; then it was made an Appendix matter; 

 and finally, the combatants were stopped by being told that they must 

 carry on the war at their own cost. We trust the Sedgwick contro- 

 versy will reach that " lame and impotent conclusion," without pass- 

 ing through the intermediate stages. 



The late Mr. Newport's brief communication deserves our thanks, 

 although we think it a little too acid. " I have observed," says Mr. 

 Newport, " with surprise and regret, such a mass of erroneous state- 

 ments in the papers now publishing in the 'Annals' on the respiratory 

 organs of the Articulata, by Dr. T. Williams, that I write at once to 

 say, that at a future period, at my earliest convenience after Dr. Wil- 

 liams has completed his remarks on the subject of the blood and the 

 respiratory structure, I shall feel myself called upon to beg for space 

 in your journal to attempt to remedy the injury which these errors are 

 likely to inflict on science by their promulgation." Approving as we 

 do of Mr. Newport's censures on the publication of such a paper, a 

 reply is quite unnecessary, We should think that very few are suffi- 

 ciently read in the internal anatomy of insects, to relish so diffuse a 

 paper ; and those who are, will not require that its short-comings 

 should be pointed out to them. 



The May number contains the following papers : — 



1 A Synopsis of the Fissirostral Family Bucconida).' By Philip 



Lutley Sclater, M.A., F.LS. 



1 Observations on the Fauna of Barrackpore.' By Captain Robert 



C. Tytler, of the 88th Regiment Bengal Light Infantry. 



