1866.] Contributions to Indian Malacology. 15!J 



species; for it is evident from the above description that the radiating 

 lines shewn do not refer to stria? but to coloured markings. Mr. 

 Benson's shell from Malabar was striated. 



Good collections of the Unios of both Coromandel and Malabar are 

 greatly needed to determine all these doubtful species. 



Monocondylzea crebristhiata, Anthony. Pegu. 



American Journal of Conchology, I., 205, pi. 18. 



Monocondyl.ea Peguensis. Anthony. Pegu. 

 - Am. Jour. Conch. I., 205, pi. 18. 



I am indebted to Mr. Theobald for the above quotations. The 

 shells are the two Monocondylcea above referred to, the first being 

 that referred by me, though with some doubt, to Anodonta {Pseudo- 

 don) inoscularis, Gould, the second to Monocondylcea Vondenbuschiana, 

 Lea. So long as it is the practice of naturalists living in foreign 

 countries, and, necessarily, imperfectly acquainted with the fauna of 

 distant regions, to give a "specific" name to every animal or frag- 

 ment of an animal which reaches them, lists of synonyms must multiply; 

 and as everybody will contend for the distinctness of his "species," 

 false notions as to the nature and value of specific distinctions must 

 prevail. Thus, in the same paper, one of the numerous varieties of 

 Melania variabilis, Benson, is called 31. gloriosa, Anthony. Now it 

 is worthy of remark that Mr. Benson, who has examined far more of 

 the Mollusca of Burma than Mr. Anthony can possibly have seen, has 

 not for years described a single Melania from that country as new, 

 and has only described two species of Unio, although he had speci- 

 mens of all Mr. Anthony's supposed new species. I can only add 

 that it would be easy for me to describe, from the materials I possess, 

 20 or 30 forms of Unio (and nearly as many more of Melania) with 

 as good claims to distinction as one-half at least of those already pub- 

 lished from India and Burma ; but were I to do so, I cannot help 

 thinking that, while burdening science with additional names, I 

 should have added nothing to the knowledge of the fresh water mol- 

 lusca of India. Amongst fresh water shells I am convinced that 

 forms pass into each other far more than amongst land shells, that 

 " species," in the usual definition of the word, have no existence, 

 that all the characters relied upon for distinguishing " species" of 

 Unionidtf in especial, the form and thickness of the hinge teeth, form 



