162 Br. Maton's and Mr. Rackett's 
ture of the facts of which thej treat, it cannot be supposed that 
they contain much original matter, those species of Testacea 
having been amply described before. 
The " Catalogue raisonnS" published by a dealer at Paris of 
the name of 
GERSAINT 
would scarcely deserve mention here, were it not prefaced by 
some general observations on shells, an account of the principal 
cabinets then existing in France and Holland, and a list of such 
authors and their works as are most worthy of being consulted : 
these particulars are interesting to collectors, and render the book 
useful for reference; though it is very defective in the enumera- 
tion of testaceological writers, and is more suited to the lover of 
mere curiosities than to the man of science. 
DUHAMEL, 
the well-known French botanist, ought to be mentioned among 
our authors, having published some experiments on the colouring 
matter furnished by the Purpura, with remarks on the species 
itself. These are inserted in the Mem. de rAcad.Jloyale des Sciences 
for 1736. Duhamel considers the purple fish of the antients as a 
species of Murex ; whereas his countryman Reaumur supposed 
it to be the Bucchium Lapillus of Linnaeus. 
It will be proper to place here 
SWAMMERDAM; 
since it was in 1737 that his Biblia Natural first appeared, a work 
containing many valuable anatomical remarks on testaceous as 
well as other animals, which are illustrated by figures. From 
the catalogue of this great physiologist's museum, published in 
10'? 9, it appeal's that he was an indefatigable collector of most 
kinds 
