64 
The hish Naturalist, 
April, 
REVIEW. 
MARINE SEGMENTED WORMS. 
The British Marine Annelids. By W. C. McIntosh, m.d., ll.d., f.r.s. 
, Vol. iii., Part i. — Text, pp. viii. and 368 ; and Part 2, Plates Ixxxviii.- 
cxi. London (Ray Society), 191 5. Price 50s. net. 
The present volume of Professor Mcintosh's Monograph has been the 
victim of one of the minor disasters of the war. It was to have been 
illustrated with six coloured plates, as well as numerous uncoloured ones. 
The coloured plates were in an advanced state of preparation at Frankfort- 
on-Main when they were trapped by the outbreak of hostilities. It 
was decided to issue the text, without any plates, as Vol. iii.. Part i. 
Collotype reproductions of the missing plates were prepared, and these, 
together with the original uncoloured plates, are now issued as Part 2 of 
Volume iii. Though from the aesthetic point of view the original coloured 
drawings would doubtless have been far more desirable, it is, under the 
circumstances, hardly fair to criticise the appearance of the substituted 
plates, and students of the Annelida will be grateful to Professor Mcintosh 
and to the Ray Society for their decision to issue the volume so promptly, 
without waiting for the missing plates. In passing, one may reflect on 
the apparently inadequate resources of the British Isles in the matter of 
colour printing. 
The present volume deals with a larger and more varied assortm.ent of 
species than any of its predecessors. Eighty-five species are more or 
less completely described, and of these fifty have been recorded from 
Irish waters, some of them being still unknown in Great Britain. The 
author takes a somewhat liberal view as to what constitutes the British 
Marine Area, and includes species which have not yet been found nearer 
than Iceland {Prionospio Steenstrupi), Cape Finisterre {Phyllochaetopterus 
gracilis), and Cape Sagres, in the South of Portugal {Stylarioides Sarsi). 
This volume contains descriptions of some of the most interesting of 
the British Polychaetes, such as the Lugworm {Arenicola marina), the 
grotesque Chaetopterus variopedatus, and the aberrant Magelona papilli- 
cornis ; also species of some economic importance, such as Polydova 
ciliata, which bores tunnels in oyster shells. Much interesting and valuable 
information is given concerning the habits and life -histories of many 
of the littoral species. A perusal of the text reveals some misprints, 
and many more weighty matters which are open to criticism. For instance, 
on p. 253, a species is very inadequately described as Cirratulus biocidatus, 
Mcintosh, 191 1." That name has been already used by Keferstein for a 
species now regarded as synonymous with Chaetozone viridis. Nor does 
Mcintosh tell us whether his species is new or whether he refers it to 
Keferstein's species. 
Professor Mcintosh is to be congratulated on the approaching com- 
pletion of his laborious task. 
R. S. 
