222 Recent Literature. { March, 
treated in the same comparative and suggestive way, with excel- 
lent figures, showing the restoration of these forms from Zittel’s 
work, “ Aus der Urzeit,”. together with figures of allied forms, and 
drawings illustrating their histology. The table on page 209, giving 
a comparative sketch of the morphological and anatomical char- 
acteristics of Sigillaria, Lepidodendron, Isoétes and the Cycadee, 
summarizes these points in a graphic manner. 
It should be borne in mind that this work is the result of ex- 
tensive personal research by the authors in collecting materials 
expressly for the results here given, and is not merely a compila- 
tion; thus the treatise is fresh, authentic, and therefore indis- 
pensable to those only familiar with the general popular works of 
Nicholson, and the older works of Owen, Pictet, and the palzeon- 
tological portions of Lyell, Dana and other geological authors. 
GUNTHER’s INTRODUCTION TO THE Stupy oF FisHEs.—No living 
man has so large an acquaintance with the species of recent fishes 
as Dr. Ginther, and his works on Ichthyology are a sine qua nom 
of every zodlogist’s library. The author of these is not more 
distinguished for his wide learning in this and other fields, than 
for his conscientiousness in certain points of nomenclature. 
While sustaining the law of priority in specific and generic names, 
he has always done so with the condition that those names should 
represent something in order to become available. For momina 
nuda he has had no respect, and he has been one of the most 
stalwart of those who have doubtless prevented the natural 
sciences from being buried beneath a load of nomenclatorial rub- 
bish. The naturalists of the future will scarcely know the debt they 
owe to those who have taken this logical position, and will hard- 
ly credit the assertion that there was once a period in the history 
of their science when persons sought to be esteemed scientific, 
by the mere creation and proposal of names. Dr. Giinther and 
his co-workers have had to take care, that the popular recognition 
usually accorded to name-makers, shall not affect the virtue of the 
true scientist; and that the coin of their science shall consist of 
golden ideas, and not of empty words. 
The portion of this work devoted to the anatomy of fishes 
covers Ig2 pages, and is very full and well illustrated. It forms 
the best manual of the subject in existence. A short chapter on 
the geological distribution of fishes follows, which is of little 
value. The section treating of the geographical and hypsomet- 
rical distribution is extensive and valuable. Here will be found 
an account of the deep-sea fishes, etc., a most interesting subject, 
to which Dr. Ginther has contributed more than all other ichthy- 
ologists combined. The systematic portion occupies the re- 
mainder of the book. Here can be found extensive reference t? 
1 An Introduction to the Study of Fishes, by Albert Giinther, Keeper of the Zodlog- 
logical Department of the British Museum. 8vo, Edinburgh, Adam and Charles 
Black. 1880. pp. 720. . 
