XLVI BULLETIN NO. 23, UNITED 8TATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



the animals, as may be seen in his acknowledgments, where the species 

 are described in the '^Contributions" through many years of publica- 

 Lion, 



On Dr. Lea's return home he found that Mr. Conrad had published 

 a bynopsis of the family of Naiades of North America" in the early 

 part of the year, which was full of errors both of date and facts These 

 were all stated in Dr. Lea's "Kectification,"* published immediately on 

 Ills return, in order to correct any false impressions they might have 

 given. He likewise found that Mr. Say had also published a short list 

 t)f the species, in which he differed much from Mr. Conrad, but he did 

 not give Dr. Lea a siugle species. Subsequently Judge Tappan. United 

 States Senator, who took so much interest in the Western Unionidce, 

 told Dr. Lea that Mr. Say had expressed great regret at the course he 

 had taken against Dr. Lea. Dr. Kirtland, State geologist and zoologist 

 of Ohio, wrote him a letter in the year 1853, in which he says : 



Your " Observatious ou the genus" show that you are still actively engaged iu that 

 interesting subject but your new edition of the Synopsis is to me still Lre interest- 

 ing. It forms a perfect hand-book for the naturalist who would investigate this in- 

 viting department. * 



Twenty-live years since I was laboring with the Mahoning Eiver shells, aided by 

 Barnes s article in the sixth volume of Silliman's Journal^ two numbers of Say's Amer- 

 ican Conchology, and his article in Nicholson's Encyclopedia. What an insi-dit into 

 their arrangement would your synopsis have rendered ! Now, my good sir, allow me to 

 urge you to go on, and accomplish what no one else can do, pnblisli a revised edition 

 of all your shells and their descriptions. This would place the subject before the 

 scienrihc public a.id arrest the attempt of foreigners to seize upon the credit which 

 belongs to you. Such a work would also be forever invaluable as a standard of ref- 

 erence. 



In a previous letter Dr. Kirtland writes that he is particularly 

 pleased with Dr. Lea's arrangement in the synopsis and will follow it in 

 his report to the State. " It is altogether preferable to anything of the 

 kind that has come before the scientific public." 



In fact Dr. Lea had intended to publish a complete work on the Union- 

 id(c of the United States, and had informed Professor Owen previous to 

 his leaving London of his intention, and that he was willing to devote 

 three years' time and $5,000 to its accomplishment. Having a good lith 

 ographer at command, he had two quarto plates made of'^the old and 

 young of Unio muItiplicatKs, together with the embryonic form But 

 new species came in so fast from various parts of the world and par 

 ticularly from numerous frignds of the Western and Southern States 

 that It precluded his doing more than describing them Only a few 

 proof copies of these fine phites had been struck 'off when a fire'took 

 place in the lithographer's establishment, and they were entirely de- 

 stroyed. Dr. Lea was constantly occupied with his scient fie researches 

 and c-on tinned his publications in the Proceedings and Journal of the 



* This was read before the Academy oflf^tu^ Sciences of Phila(^^lphi;;;;;d^ 

 lished in its Proceedings. ^ 



