"Notice of recent additions to the marine invertebrata of the North-eastern coast of America," etc. Besides descriptions of many Polyzoa and a new Ascidian the author notes as new to the eastern coast, Xylophaga dorsalis Turton, Lunatia nana Möller (also found by Möller in Greenland, and by Dall in Alaska) and Idalia pulchella Alder and Hancock. Dendronotus robustus Verrill, is stated to be identical with and prior to D. velifer Sars, from Norway.

In the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia for 1879, p. 16, Mr. W. G. Binney mentions Arionta rowellii and A. facta Newc., with Binneya notabilis Cp., as found on the Mexican island of Guadalupe off the coast of Lower California. He suggests that the Mexican genus Xanthonyx is probably synonymous with Binneya. In the same periodical Mr. Andrew Garrett gives a list of land shells inhabiting Rurutu, one of the Austral (Pacific) Islands with remarks on their synonymy, geographical range and descriptions of new species; 1. c. pp. 17– 30. It contains twenty-three species, of which eight are new. On page 31 of the Proceedings Mr. Garrett describes Goniobranchus albopunctatus, sp. n., from Huahine, Society islands.

In the Canadian Naturalist, VIII, n. s. No. 8, Mr. J. F. Whiteaves publishes a short paper of nine pages, "On some marine invertebrata from the west coast of North America," which contains among other things a very interesting list of mollusks from the coast of British Columbia, one of which, Cardium richardsonii is described as new. This paper (though stated to be published Dec. 20, 1878), is of such interest to the students of geographical distribution that I include a notice of it here. It partially fills a gap which has long existed in our knowledge of the invertebrata of the fauna existing between Puget sound and Alaska. This fauna for the most part is Oregonian in character and contains few locally characteristic mollusks.

In the report of the Chesapeake Zoological Laboratory (Johns Hopkins University), which contains the papers of Prof. W. K. Brooks, before mentioned, is a list by Mr. P. R. Uhler, of animals found at Fort Wool, in the Lower Chesapeake. This contains thirty-one species of mollusks, all of which had been previously known, though several were new to the region. It must be stated that the identification of one of these, as Chiton cinereus Lin., is doubtless an oversight; as that is a northern species, Arctic and

European in its distribution, and not known from any part of America.

In Prof. Wetherby's Notes on Limnæidæ, previously mentioned, he claims to have for the first time correctly identified Planorbis glabratus Say, since it was originally described, and characterizes as new P. (Helisoma) duryi, both coming from Florida.

In Science News for April 15, 1879, Mr. Arthur F. Gray notes the comparatively recent spread of Litorina litorea L., which, first described as American from Nova Scotia specimens, doubtless was brought over on ballast, and has reached as far south as Stonington, Connecticut. The writer can positively state that twenty years ago it was not found on the shores from Beverly to Boston, though now rather common there, and such records of its migration as the above are interesting and valuable.

In the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (Sept. 1879) pp. 282–288, Dr. J. G. Cooper publishes "Notes on some land-shells of the Pacific slope." This is chiefly a criticism of some of Mr. Binney's work. Dr. Cooper thinks that the little Alaskan Patula is not pauper of Gould, but a comparison with Gould's types would have led him rather to sustain the identification of Binney and Bland, as the specimens are precisely similar and from a similar faunal region.

The shells of the Colorado desert are the subject of an article by R. E. C. Stearns in the March number of the AMERICAN NATURALIST. Although fossilized shells, the paper has a right to mention here, from the fact that it is a matter of doubt whether all these species are fully extinct even in America, while Dybowski has described large numbers of Tryoniæ (under other names) from Lake Baikal, one species of which is hardly distinguishable from T. clathrata Stm., figured by Stearns.

Mr. W. W. Calkins, who has repeatedly visited Florida on scientific tours, published a paper on the "Marine Shells of Florida," in the Proceedings of the Davenport Academy of Sciences in 1878, comprising a catalogue, descriptions of supposed new species and some remarks on the distribution of species included in his list.

This paper was noticed in Science News of February 15, 1879, and in the number for April 15th, Mr. R. E. C. Stearns points out some errors of identification which occur in Mr. Calkins' paper, whereby West American and Floridian species were included

under one name.

In Bulletin No. 14 of the U. S. National Museum, we have a Catalogue of the Collection illustrating the animal resources and the fisheries of the United States," prepared under the direction of Mr. G. Brown Goode, and referring to the collection exhibited by the National Museum and the Smithsonian Institution at Philadelphia in 1876.

Part 11, of this Bulletin (pp. 249-271) comprises the "Catalogue of illustrations of the Economical Invertebrates of the American coasts, by W. H. Dall." Nine pages (251-259) of this relates to Mollusks, in which, of course, the pearl shells and oysters occupy the larger part. Had the uses of exotic Mollusks also been considered, the list might have been considerably augmented; the number of species given among the Gasteropods and Lamellibranchs includes few except those actually used for food or bait. A very much larger number might have been enumerated as possibly available, but this was not thought desirable.

A very useful aid to all students of the fauna of the North-east American coast, is the "Preliminary Check-list of the marine. Invertebrata of the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, by A. E. Verrill," prepared for the U. S. Fish Commission, of which the author's edition was printed at New Haven in June, 1879. Four hundred and seventy-four species and varieties of Mollusks and Molluscoids are enumerated, and forty-three Tunicates, distributed as follows: Cephalopods, 12 sp.; Gasteropods (including 44 sp. Nudibranchiates), 187 sp.; Pteropods, 4 sp.; Solenoconchs, 3 sp.; Lamellibranchs, 122 sp.; Brachiopods, 3 sp. (and two doubtful ones); Polyzoa, 141 sp.; and Tunicates, 43 sp. and varieties. A comparison of these numbers with those of Stimpson's Smithsonian Check-list of 1860, "Arctic seas to Georgia," including practically all that was then known of the Atlantic coast, shows the vast progress that has been made. Stimpson's numbers are as follows: Cephalopods, 16 sp; Gasteropods (including 22 Nudibranchs), 240 sp.; Pteropods, 6 sp.; Solenoconchs, 2 sp.; Lamellibranchs, 189 sp.; Brachiopods 3 sp. (2 doubtful); Polyzoa, 27 sp.; and Tunicates 29 sp.; total for the whole Atlantic coast, 514 species and varieties, against 517 now catalogued for the small portion between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cape Cod alone.

This great advance may be almost wholly attributed to the researches of the officers of the U. S. Fish Commission and those

associated with them, and especially to the untiring activity of the author of this check-list.

In his "Zoology for Students and general Readers," by A. S. Packard, Jr., the nervous system and pedal ganglia and otocysts of Mya arenaria are figured from drawings prepared by Dr. W. K. Brooks. Prof. Packard also gives a general account of the anatomy of Lunatia heros, and of Loligo peali.

A new form of Helix from California, apparently related to H. mormonum, is described by Mr. R. E. C. Stearns in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1, No. 10, Nov., 1879, article xxvi, with a figure, under the name of H. var. circumcarinata Stearns.

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RECENT LITERATURE.

SMITH'S BRAZIL; THE AMAZONS AND THE COAST. Of the many delightful books which have been written on Brazil, this is, to our taste, the most interesting. Its author was, for a time, a member of the Geological Survey of Brazil under Prof. Hartt, and brings to the task of writing a popular book, many qualifications. His work displays scientific knowledge, acute powers of observation, an insight into the social and business interests of the inhabitants, and an enthusiastic love of nature. His style is vivacious, and we are carried with ready facility from forests to fevers, from plains to insects, from politics to navigation, while a narrative of travel appears here and there as we pass from one scene to another. The variety of subjects treated will interest a large circle of readers. As Mr. Smith is an accomplished entomologist, his contributions to this department have an especial value. The statements of the results of a day's collecting of beetles are remarkable. On December 17th he took 394 specimens of 275 species in about eight hours. On January 29th, 471 specimens of 268 species. The famine of Ceara, 1877-78, of which Mr. Smith was an eye-witness, is graphically described. The industrial statistics will interest American merchant especially. The execution of the work, including the numerous wood engravings, is admirable.

NATURAL SCIENCE AND RELIGION.2-In these lectures Dr. Gray furnishes the theological students of Yale with his reasons for maintaining a belief in the evolution of animal and vegetable spe

1Brazil; The Amazons and the Coast. By Herbert H. Smith. Illustrated by sketches by Champney, etc. New York, Chas. Scribner's Sons, 1879. 8vo, pp. 644.

2 Two lectures delivered to the Theological School of Yale College. Chas. Scribner's Sons. 8vo, 1880.

cies. Though these are familiar to most of our readers, they are not so to the average theological student; so that our thanks are due to Dr. Gray for his clear and simple statement of them. He lays a good foundation for the further discussion of questions which more immediately interest theologians, viz: the evolution of mind and character. Into this field Dr. Gray does not enter, but confines himself to a pretty thorough exposition of common sense views of creation, such as would be naturally entertained by every healthy mind were it not for the difficulties raised by too comprehensive theologies.

MOSELEY'S NATURALIST ON THE CHALLENGER. In this record, by one of the naturalists of the scientific staff of the Challenger, we have probably the cream of the more important discoveries made by this famous expedition. The story is not told in an elaborate way, but rather as noted down originally in the author's note book and letters home. While immense collections have been made by this expedition to be elaborated by specialists in the volumes of the Admiralty reports, it is not improbable that the results already published by Mr. Moseley are quite as important as those yet to be worked out. We refer to his elaborate discussions on the development and anatomy of Peripatus, by which this singular form has been taken from among or near the worms and placed with the Tracheata; also to his papers on the Hydroid corals, Millepora, the Stylasteridæ and Heliopora. The results of these investigations were of the highest value to biological science. These, however, were not deep sea forms; of these the most important and aberrant was a deep sea ascidian (Octacnemus bythius Moseley). Mr. Moseley states that indeed the deep sea animals are mostly closely allied to shallow water forms. "They appear also to live associated together in closely the same manner as their shallow water representatives." Moseley says nothing as to the fact that these deep sea forms are a survival of the Cretaceous fauna, as they probably are- but the general results of the Challenger are but an extension of what had been brought out by the Scandinavian, American and British deep sea researches which had established the fact that there was a deep sea or abyssal fauna; the researches of Pourtales and Agassiz in the Floridan channel showing that this fauna, with its arctic waters, underlay, at depths below 500 fathoms, the tropical life and

waters.

Agassiz's idea, however, Moseley says, that many important fossil forms might exist at great depths was also dispelled. This idea was, however, based on a misconception. The most generalized forms, those most likely to survive great vicissitudes and changes

1Notes by a Naturalist on the “ Challenger;" being an account of various observations made during the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger round the world in the year 1872-1876. By H. N. Moseley, F.R.S., with a map, two colored plates and numerous wood-cuts. London, Macmillan & Co., 1879. 8vo, pp. 606.