§74 American Work on Recent Mollnsca in 1881. [November, 

 AMERICAN WORK ON RECENT MOLLUSCA IN 1881. 



BY WILLIAM H. DALL. 



SINCE the appearance of our last record (1880), death has 

 claimed Mr. Chas. M. Wheatley, of Phoenixville, Pennsylva- 

 nia, who was formerly noted for his interest in fresh-water shells, 

 and for whom several American species have been named. He did 

 little original work in this field, but in geology and palaeontology, 

 especially the exploration of certain bone-bearing caves, his con- 

 tributions to science have been gratefully recognized. 



The recorder would renew his request to authors to furnish 

 him, as promptly as practicable, with separate copies of their 

 publications on recent mollusks, 1 in order that the completion of 

 this record may be made as early in the succeeding year as pos- 

 sible, and he would also suggest to writers not resident in Amer- 

 ica that any papers bearing on American mollusca or especially 

 interesting for any reason to American malacologists, will, if 

 copies are furnished, be duly noted in the record. 



The year shows a creditable amount of work done, and is 

 especially notable'for the investigations into the mollusks of the 

 deep sea (of which Pleurotomaria is not the least interesting); the 

 contributions to our knowledge of the Cephalopoda of our east- 

 ern coast ; and the researches into the egg and early stages of 

 Limax campestris and the generalizations resulting therefrom. 



An account of recent progress in zoology for the years 1879 

 and 1880, by Dr. Theo. Gill, appears in the Smithsonian Report 

 for 1880, separate advance copies being issued in 188 1. It con- 

 tains a resume of the more remarkable advances in our know- 

 ledge of mollusks during the period mentioned. We are informed 

 that similar reports may be hoped for annually hereafter in the 

 Smithsonian Report on various subjects and by several hands. 



General works. — Mr. Tryon's Manual of Conchology has com- 

 pleted its third volume in 1881 covering the Tritonidse, Fusi- 

 dae and Buccinidae. When, in 1879, this work was announced, it 

 was stated that it was proposed M to compile a conchological 

 manual which while more comprehensive than any similar work 

 hitherto published, shall be so condensed in text and illustration 

 that it may be issued at a much more moderate price. It will 

 include in systematic order the diagnoses of all the genera and 



