No. 504] NOTES AND LITERATURE 



807 



tory)," the trustees of the British Museum have published a 

 book of two hundred and nine pages giving an account of the 

 principal kinds of fishes, the characteristics of the different 

 families, and in general an outline of the classification adopted 

 in the distribution of the species in the museum. A number 

 of figures are given, some of living and some of extinct species. 



In the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada Dr. J. F. 

 Whiteaves continues his account of the fossil fishes of the 

 Devonian Eocks of Canada, with descriptions of numerous 

 species and restoration of others. Most interesting is the extraor- 

 dinary Bothriolepis canadensis, restored in accordance with 

 investigations of Professor Patten. This form has many char- 

 acteristics of arthropod animals. With its head, eyes and coat 

 of mail, suggesting something like a horseshoe crab, it is hard 

 to believe that it is a fish. On the other hand, it is hard to 

 believe that the tail, provided with what seems to be a rayed 

 dorsal fin, can belong to any kind of crab-like animal. 



In the Sitzungsberichte of the Academy at Vienna, Volume 

 116, 1907, Dr. Viktor Pietschmann describes two new sharks 

 from Sagami Bay, Japan, Centrophorus steindachneri and 

 Etmopterus frontimaculatus. 



In the same journal for 1908 Dr. Steindachner describes 

 fishes from South America, and also a loach from Formosa, the 

 latter called Homaloptera formosanum. 



In the same journal, Dr. Steindachner describes a new genus 

 of characins called " Joinvillea." 



In the same journal he describes also other species of South 

 American river fishes. 



In the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 1908, Mr. 

 Eegan describes new fresh- water fishes from Japan and Formosa. 



In the same journal Mr. Regan describes also new fresh-water 

 fishes from New Guinea. 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Mr. 

 Regan describes a number of new species from Corea. 



In the Annals of the Natal Government Museum Mr. Regan 

 gives a list of marine fishes from South Africa, nine of them 

 being described as new. Mr. Regan gives also a useful analysis 

 of the eight species recognized by him in the genus Squatina. 

 Of these S. japonica and nebulosa are found in Japan, and 8. 

 calif ornica off the coast of California. 



In the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 1908, Mr. 



