42 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



An Account of the Deep- Sea Brachyura, and a Descriptive Cata- 

 logue of the Indian Deep- Sea Fishes collected by the Royal 

 Indian Marine Survey Ship 'Investigator.' By A. Alcock, 

 M.B., C.M.Z.S., &c. Calcutta: Printed by order of the 

 Trustees of the Indian Museum. 



Both these publications relate to the good work done on 

 board the ' Investigator,' a small paddle-steamer of 580 tons, 

 which since 1885 has yearly contributed the results of deep-sea 

 dredgings to the Indian Museum. 



The Brachyura number fifty-three species belonging to thirty- 

 eight genera, and, with two exceptions, have all been obtained 

 from depths of over one hundred fathoms. Although the list fur- 

 nishes no " theory of geographical distribution," yet Dr. Alcock 

 remarks : — " If, however, we regard genera and not species, the 

 list discloses some suggestive affinities between the Brachyuran 

 fauna of these seas and of certain parts of the Atlantic area. 

 These affinities may, of course, be taken as merely confirmatory 

 of current views as to the unity of the deep-sea fauna ; but seeing 

 that the Brachyura are not generally considered to belong to the 

 true deep-sea (abyssal) fauna, I think it equally probable that 

 they may afford evidence of a former open connection between 

 the seas in question. 1 ' The species are very fully described, and 

 the memoir is enriched by four good plates. 



The fishes included in the ' Catalogue ' were all dredged by 

 the ' Investigator ' in deep water, and, excluding a few mangled 

 remains which cannot be identified, number one hundred and 

 sixty-nine species. They were obtained between the meridians 

 of 65° and 99° E., and the parallels of 5° and 24° N., while no fewer 

 than one hundred and twenty-six species " have, so far as is 

 known, been taken only by the ' Investigator.'" 



The views of Dr. Gunther as to a former direct and open 



