356 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
Mr. Rimmer lias added localities for many of the species from his own 
observations, from those of correspondents, and from local lists published 
in journals; he has also in some cases added information on the natural 
history of the animals, and introduced in their proper places a few species 
discovered or admitted to specific rank, or admitted to British citizenship 
since the publication of the first volume of the British Conchology, so that 
his book may be taken as a good and trustworthy exposition of our present 
knowledge of the British territorial and freshwater shells. We notice one 
curious statement, however, an explanation of which would be desirable. 
The author says that the Sphseriidae have the siphons placed in front, instead 
of at the posterior end of the body, an assertion which is rather startling. 
Following Dr. Jeffreys’ example, Mr. Rimmer has given the accentuation 
and translation of all the generic and specific names occurring in his book, 
and these occur again, together with the terms used in description, in a 
glossary appended to the work. The mode of pronunciation of the words is 
also indicated, in a very effective, if rather grotesque fashion. 
The little book is illustrated with ten plates, giving figures of all the 
species, mostly reproduced from photographs by the 1 Albertype process.’ 
We must confess that, although some of the figures, especially of the larger 
shells, are very beautiful, and nearly all of them, except the minute ones, 
furnish a fair idea of the objects represented, we must still adhere to the 
conviction that we have entertained for many years, that photography is 
not adapted to produce satisfactory illustrations of natural history objects. 
Of two sets of species, namely, the slugs, on account of their restlessness, 
and the species of Vertigo , on account of the minuteness of the characters 
of the mouth, which had to be represented, the author has given good litho- 
graphed figures. 
We hope that Mr. Rimmer’s labours may be rewarded as he desires, by 
the diffusion among the people of a taste for investigating the natural 
objects which everywhere surround them in such profusion ; and that he 
wll soon find in his rambles that he is no longer regarded by chance passers- 
by as a harmless lunatic escaped from some asylum. 
