
498 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vor. XXXVI. 
Braun, has been adopted in the main, although such minor changes: 
as those in the arrangement of the families will hardly be regarded 
by most helminthologists as an improvement. A few minor errors 
have crept into the chapter, as the representation (Fig. IX) of the 
lateral nerve as the chief longitudinal stem, and the denomination of 
the basement membrane as an internal limiting cuticular membrane. 
The classification used for the Cestoidea is a combination of those 
used by Braun and Lang,to the former of which it is certainly 
inferior. The use of Cestoidea merozoa instead of Cestoidea polyzoa 
Lang is a noteworthy improvement as avoiding the confusion and 
incorrect inference in the latter term; but why not a single term 
rather than the cumbersome double form? The arrangement of the 
families is open to the criticism that no grouping can be considered 
more than temporary which is based on so artificial a feature as the 
number of suckers. Both text and literature are deficient in respect 
to the older work of Cohn and Lühe, and one is struck by the entire 
omission of references to the very extensive and important work of 
Stiles, although one cut was taken from Stiles and Hassall. 
The next chapter, which is referred to on the title-page and in 
the preface as dealing with Mesozoa, distinctly repudiates that term 
and considers as separate appendices to the Platyhelmia the Rhom- 
bozoa, Orthonectida, Trichoplax, and Salinella. An extended note 
by the editor of the series adds here a valuable statement of recent 
results of importance which would have been welcome in other 
. places also. 
The final chapter, dealing with Nemertini, follows the work of 
Bürger closely. Two pages of addenda and corrigenda have been 
added by Mr. Punett without doing more in the opinion of the 
reviewer than emphasizing the unfortunate delay in the appearance 
of the book. Scant justice is done some authors, and as striking a 
paper as that by Woodworth on Planktonemertes is entirely passed 
Over. 
There are some features which appear rather clumsy in American 
eyes, such as the use of Roman numerals to designate the figures, 
and the habit of beginning to number the figures anew in each 
chapter. One may justly say also that the figures are inferior to 
such as are used in this country to-day, and far behind those found 
in continental texts. As instances of the use of mediocre figures 
for forms of which good representations are easily accessible may be 
cited those of Bothriocephalus (p- 112) and Echinococcus (p. 1 31), 
while that of Dipylidium (p. 1 35) is little more than a caricature. 
