r^7^2 The American Geologist. N'ovember, i904. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
Palaeontoi.ogia Uxiveksalis. — The writer- desires to call the at- 
tention of American geologists to the fact that this xtry important work 
has but 21 subscribers in the United States, while France has 63 and 
G2nnany jG. Certainly the geologists and geological libraries of this 
country are not yet supplied with this publication. Fasciculi I and II 
have been issued ; these contain 97 sheets redescribing and refiguring 46 
of the old and little known species. It is intended to issue annually 
from 150 to 160 sheets, treating of about 80 species, llie annual sub- 
scription price is $8.00. Subscriptions may be sent to G. E. Stechert, 
No. 9, East i6th street, New York city. Those persons or institu- 
tions desiring further information regarding this work, with samples 
of the plates, will be supplied on application to prgfessor Charles Schu- 
chert, Yale University ^Museum, New Haven, Conn. chas. schuchert. 
The Type of x\viculipectex. Commenting, in the September 
number of the American Geologist, upon a note of mine regarding 
the type species of AvicuUpectcn, McCoy, Mr. Wheelton Hind finds just 
cause to regret that I had not, before writing, seen his monograph 
upon the Carboniferous Lamellibranchiata. It is so easj-^ to overlook 
publications in these days of redundant literature, that one is loath to 
have the appearance of being thus at fault when really to a consider- 
able extent blameless. Mr. Hind's monograph was one of the fir'st 
works consulted when I undertook to ascertain the true characters of 
AviciiUpecten. I was thoroughly sorr\' not to find, in the set to which 
I had recourse, the portion of his work dealing with that genus, and 
concluded, mistakenly as I now find, that it had not yet been publish- 
ed. A short time thereafter, when the work really did come be- 
fore me, an effort w^as made to recall my manuscript for reconsider- 
ation, but it was found to have already passed the press. 
The fact, as pointed out by Mr. Hind, that the names thus unwit- 
tingly used in my discussion turn out to be- in many cases synonj-ms, 
is subordinate in importance to my conclusion that the typical species of 
Aziculipccten is a quite different one from that which he regards as such. 
He remarks upon this point: 'T think, in the unfortunate circumstance of 
the absence of any definite indication, that it is a good and simple rule 
to regard the first described species as the type of the genus. All that 
Mr. Girty has to say as to the locality is important, but nevertheless an 
author has some object in view in the arrangement of his species, and 
as McCoy adopted no alphabetical order, we must presume that he in- 
tc-nded .i. plaairadiatus to be the type." I think Mr. Hind must have 
written these words by oversight, for as I pointed out in my original 
note, McCoy elsewhere arranges his species alphabetically, and in the 
case of the paper containing the generic description of AviciiUpecten 
also, the species, so far as their number in each case permits, are so ar- 
ranged. This is true of the two species A. planiradiatus and ./. ruth- 
