120 Dr. Maton's and Mr. Rackett's 
science itself could obtain so valuable a register from the hands 
of its illustrious reformer, we may be allowed to express i 
wonder at a similar history of authors not having been executed, 
as an aid to all other departments of natural history. 
It is now some years that the writers of this paper have devoted 
much attention to the study of the Testacea ; and in preparing a 
systematic catalogue and description of such species as inhabit 
the British islands, they had much reason to lament being un- 
provided with any professed and complete history of this branch 
of zoology, to assist them in collecting synonyms and comparing 
figures and descriptions. Excepting the Fundament a Testaceo- 
logia, contained in the Amanitatcs Academical, there is no work 
that exhibits the progress of the science, or treats of the merits of 
writers, at all in a satisfactory manner. In order to supply this 
defect, so far at least as our own means of research have ex- 
tended, and with a view to some explanation of the references 
which we may have occasion to employ in a future paper, the fol- 
lowing sketches are submitted to the Linnean Society. With 
regard to the order of them, the chronological has appeared to 
us to be the most eligible ; but, as a methodical classification of 
authors may also be useful, subjoined to the historical part of 
this paper is a list of their names and works, arranged according 
to the subjects of which they treat. We have omitted, however, 
mere catalogists, and such authors as have treated of the Tes- 
tacea only in a casual manner, conceiving that an enumeration of 
such performances would protract this paper to an undue length, 
without adding any thing particularly curious or important to 
the history of the science. If several authors of a higher order 
have not been inserted, it is either because they are not accessi- 
ble to the generality of our countrymen, or because they have 
copied others too nearly to be allowed the merit of originality. 
With 
