i34 
ZOOLOGICAI^ LITERATURE. 
work, only 2146 species of this order are enumerated, and about 
600 of these are considered by Dr. Giinther to have been 
nominal species. To the third volume he has added a systematic 
synopsis of the families of this order, showing his views as to 
their natural affinities. It is intended to illustrate this portion 
of the work with a series of plates, the execution of which has 
been commenced, but which will be published at a later period. 
The fourth volume, published in 1862, contains the Acan- 
thopterygii Pharyngognathi and Anacanthini, these two orders 
comprising 1090 species, of which 890 are well characterized. 
The fifth volume, published in 1864, falls within the limits of 
this Record, and commences the order of Physostomi, containing 
the families of SiluridcBj Characinidce, HaplochitonidcBj Sternopty- 
chidcBj Scopelid(E, and Stomiatidce. 1005 species are enumerated 
against 492 of Cuvier and Valenciennes^s ^ Histoire Naturelle 
des Poissons ^ j 849 are considered to be well characterized, a 
considerable portion of them being described for the first time. 
Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Neerlandaises, par 
M. P. Bleeker. Amsterdam, fol. 
Dr. Bleeker has commenced collecting the results of his nume- 
rous labours on the Ichthyology of the East Indian archipelago 
in a splendid work published under the auspices of the Dutch 
Colonial Government. All the species observed by the author 
during nearly twenty years of ichthyological study are described 
and figured. The descriptions are more or less republications 
of those formerly given. The plates are eoloured from drawings 
made in India, and very accurate, and therefore quite sufficient 
for scientific purposes; figures of the dentition are added to 
many species. On the whole, the work is invaluable and almost 
indispensable for the determination of the fishes of that fauna : 
if it has a defect, it lies in the systematic attempts, and also in 
the nomenclature of the author, the most trivial characters 
being used for the distinction of genera and groups ; and we 
have no doubt that Dr. Bleeker himself will hereafter consider- 
ably reduce the number of these, as he has done with the species 
formerly described by him. The work has appeared very regu- 
larly, the following volumes having been published : — 
Vol. I, ScARoiDEs et Labroides. 1862, pp. 168, with 48 
plates. 
Vol. II. SiLUROiDES, Chacoides, ct Heterobranchoides. 
1863 (1862, Recording to the title-page), pp. 112, with 53 
plates. 
Vol. III. Cyprins. 1863, pp. 150, with 43 plates. 
Vol. IV. Murasni. pp. 11 2, with 49 plates. (Livraisons 14-16 
in 1864, livraison 17 in 1865.) 
