. THE CLASSIFICATION OF SHELLS 



One evening, several weeks after our return from the coast, we 

 called upon Professor Parker and found him busily engaged in study 

 in his laboratory. We spent several hours very pleasantly in examin- 

 ing a large collection of shells, just purchased, and which came from 

 all parts of the world. 



In the course of our conversation, George asked why it was neces- 

 sary to give the shells such long and hard scientific names. "Why 

 wouldn't English names do as well?' he asked. 



The Professor, who always willingly answered our questions, sat 

 down and explained to us the reasons for the use of Latin and Greek 

 names. 



"In the first place," he said, "it is necessary to have the names 

 in some language which is studied in all the countries of the world, 

 and you are aware that Latin and Greek are the only languages 

 which are universally used. If we were to use English names, the 

 people in France, Germany, Russia, Japan, and other countries would 

 not know their meaning; and so if the names were in any 

 other language, the people of the other countries would not under- 

 stand them. Then again, the use of the Latin and Greek languages 

 enables the scientist to express in two or three words a meaning 

 which would require a whole sentence in English, or some other 

 modern language. Let us see if that is not true. We will take the 

 name Nerita siibcjranosa, which means the ' nerite covered with 

 a few grain-like pimples.' This is a Latin term. We may also use 

 the Greek language, as in Turbo chrysostoma, which means the ' golden- 

 mouthed turban shell. 1 And so this system may be used indefinitely. 



"As you have doubtless learned in your studies, the Mollusca are 

 classified systematically, each class, order, family, genus, and species 

 being arranged in relation to other classes, orders, genera, and species. 

 That is, all animals of one kind are placed in one group, as an order 

 or family, while those differing from it are placed in other groups, 

 and so on. 



" For example, let us see how we would classify the common pond 

 snail LimiMa stayncdis. We find that it belongs to the class Gastropoda, 



144 



