and Corrections to a Monograph of Cyprcea, 219 



more incorrectly coloured, every part being by far too dark. I think, 

 therefore, that the name of C Princeps ought to be retained. 



may with ease be traced ; Perry having only increased the size, and heightened 

 the colouring. But there are some figures in Perry that can only have been 

 drawn from imagination, such as his Pholas and Mya. I think he has been 

 ■dreaming of extraordinary shells, and immediately upon waking has committed 

 them to his " Conchology." 



I really fear I shall fatigue you with the length of this note, my patience is 

 very nearly exhausted in preparing it ; I shall therefore immediately conclude 

 it, after giving you a few instances of his inattention to established nomencla- 

 ture. Thus it will be seen that some of the Laraarckian Fusi and Pyrulte he has 

 called Murex ; Triton has with him the generic name of Septa ; Turritella that 

 of Aculea ; Bulimi are changed into Melaniae ; Achatincs SiTad Phasianellce are 

 joined together under Bulimus ; Ampullarics ^nd Helices are called Pomacea / 

 Purpurce are called Haustrum ; some Lamarckian Mwrice* are denominated Ara- 

 nece, and we are told that " their spines may assist their rotatory motion at the 

 " bottom of the sea.*' Fasciolariee sltb Pyrulce ; a Carocolla and two Cyclos- 

 tomata form his Planorhis, a genus which he says he invented and adopted him- 

 self; Crepiduia is called Proscenula, and we are favoured with the information 

 that it is " now described for the first time," and that " its species are very 

 " numerous, which makes it rather extraordinary that no one should have de- 

 " scribed it before ;" a tale which can only be matched by another, in which 

 our author figures as a principal performer. Mr. Bullock, some years since, re- 

 ceived several letters from Mr. Perry, requesting, as a particular favour, that he 

 would permit him to draw and describe a certain extraordinary and beautiful 

 new bird, which he saw in Mr. B's museum; Mr. B,, wishing to oblige Mr. P. 

 searched for the bird, but could not ascertain which Mr. P. meant ; meeting 

 him, however, some time after, he walked back to the museum with him, and 

 Mr. P. pointed out this wonderful bird, which proved to be no other than a 

 common magpye, in very fine plumage ; a fact, however, of which Mr. P. would 

 not be persuaded. 



Note by the Editor. . 



I cannot let the opportunity pass by of expressing on my own part, and on 

 that of the other conductors of this Journal, our entire concurrence in the 

 foregoing observations of Mr. Sowerby. It is our unanimous opinion that 

 Perry's Conchology is not a work worthy of being cited as authority. 



We have further to declare our conviction that the cause of science would 

 he considerably benefited by naturalists of a higher order uniting in a general 

 resolution to discountenance all works of mere pretension. Natural History 

 unfortunately includes among her followers as great a proportion of quacks 



p 2 



