338 Messrs. W. K. Parker and T. R. Jones on the 



from his own collection, and selected from the Monograph of 

 Fichtel and Moll several of their so-called Nautili, and from 

 Soldani's ? Testaceographia' some of his figured microscopic 

 shells ; he produced modified figures of these, and classified and 

 named the whole according to his conchological system, arranging 

 most of them (genres iii e — lxii e ) as " Coquilles univalves cloi- 

 sonnees, contoumees en spirale," and others (genres lxiii e — 

 lxxxiir 2 ) as si Coquilles univalves cloisonnees, droites." De Mont- 

 fort's delineations of these Foraminifera and other Microzoa 

 were all drawn and engraved on wood by himself; and very 

 proper remarks does he make in his 'Discours preliminaire ' 

 (p. viii) on the advisability of naturalists being their own 

 draughtsmen. In this case, however, we have but poor results ; 

 and, to say nothing of the execution of the cuts', we look in 

 vain for correct drawing as to the superficial sculpturing of 

 these little shells ; whilst the attempt on the part of De Mont- 

 fort to give in one figure, placed obliquely, the features both of 

 surface and edge (shown in two views by Fichtel and Moll) 

 adds greatly to the general incorrectness and obscurity of the 

 figures. 



Putting aside our author's notions as to the Cephalopodous 

 nature of these little chambered shells, we may notice that he 

 was much struck by the fact of their extensive development and 

 distribution in the present seas, and their frequently enormous 

 accumulation in the fossil state in some of the limestones of the 

 Alps, Apennines, and other mountains (Disc, prelim, p. xxvii). 

 The beauty of these little creatures, their symmetry and elegance, 

 the neatness of their construction, their delicate colours, irides- 

 cence, and pearliness, strongly impressed De Montfort with a 

 love for these tiny bijoux of Nature's workmanship, so lavishly 

 scattered among the sea-sand of every clime. 



As results arising from De Montfort's systematic handling of 

 the Foraminifera we have not much to point out. His generic 

 names are, for the most part, useless ; since the several species, 

 varieties, and figured individuals of a genus have respectively 

 received a new binomial appellation at his hand. The specific 

 names proposed by him are also mostly unnecessary, being ge- 

 nerally duplicate to some former name. Occasionally, however, 

 his appellations are useful, — Peneroplis, for instance, having 

 been preserved ; and some of the trivial names are good for sub- 

 species and varieties. We may remark that, with regard to 

 some of the fossil forms (such as Alveolina, &c), De Montfort 

 has collected many useful bibliographical references. 



Writing subsequently to Lamarck (dela Marck in those days), 

 De Montfort refers to the early edition of the ' Syst. An. s. Vert.'; 



