6 Transactions of the Society. 



These years saw the foundation of the study of the Foraniinifera. 

 Charles d'Orbigny, apart from his profession as a doctor, occupied 

 himself with scientific studies, corresponding with workers in all 

 parts of the country, and in Paris. He was attracted by the study 

 of the Foraniinifera, and collected sands containing them from 

 various localities, and it would appear that as his eyesight 

 deteriorated, he had them examined primarily by his son Alcide.^ 

 He had received from the geologist Fleuriau de Bellevue several 

 packets of sand from Eimini on the Adriatic, besides fossil 

 material from the interior, which had formed part of the collection 

 and working material of Ambrogio Soldani, from whom Fleuriau 

 de Bellevue had received them,- and there is little doubt that here 

 we find the first imjjetus given to the study which was to make 

 the name of Alcide d'Orbigny immortal, when his larger works of 

 geology and travel should have passed from senility into some- 

 thing approaching oblivion. It was natural that, from studying 

 and drawing the forms for his father, he should make collections 

 of his own from the rich store of material lying close at hand on 

 the mud flats of the Anse de I'Aiguillon, and accordiugly in 1819 

 we find the elder d'Orbigny writing to Fleuriau de Belle^'ue a 

 letter on the subject, which may be said to be the earliest printed 

 document relating to living Foraminifera as they are understood 

 and studied at the present day.^ The letter of 1819 is the more 

 interesting since from it it would appear that it was d'Orbigny pere 

 who was responsible originally for classing the Foraminifera among 

 the Cephalopoda. It must be borne in mind that at this time 

 Alcide d'Orbigny was only seventeen years of age. He had, 

 however, been strongly attracted to natural science from his 

 earliest years, as may be gathered from another, earlier letter in 

 the possession of Madame Henri d'Orbigny (his daughter-in-law), 

 written to him by his father when he was only eleven years old, 

 and which by her permission I have reproduced in Appendix B. 

 In the letter of 1819 his father says : — 



" I have just made a discovery of considerable zoological importance, 

 and I hasten to apprize yon of it. I think I have already told you 

 that species of microscopic Cephalopods related to those observed in the 

 sands of Rimini were to be found in great numbers in our sands of the 

 Golfe de I'Aiguillon, and of Angoulins*; I have already described 



' XXIII., p. 165. ■' XX., p. 153; XXI., p. 435. 



^ " Extrait cl'une Lettre de M. d'Orbigny, Medeciu a Esnandespres La Rochelle, 

 a M. Fleuriau de Bellevue sur la decouverte de C'ephalopodes microscopiques sur 

 les cotes de I'Ocean" — Journal de Physique, de Cliiniie, d'Histoire Naturelle, et 

 des Arts .'. . par IM. H. M. Ducrotay de Blainviile, Ixxxviii., Paris, Jan., 181'J, 

 pp. 187-188, Zoologie (Fevrier, 1819). 



* Angoulins is a small watering-place G kils. to the south of La Rochelle, 

 adjoining the Plage de Chatelaillon, whence I have' made a point of making a 

 shore gathering, the richness of whose Foramiuiferal fauna may be seen ou a 

 glance at our list of species from that locality. 



