BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ISAAC LEA, LL. D. XI 



During the period from 1825 to 1832 Mr. Lea's correspondence was 

 very large, both at home and abroad, with various scientific friends in 

 the same department of science. Among these were Judge William 

 Cooper, Dr. Kirtland, Dr. Hildreth, and Drs. Ward and Jay, Major Le 

 Coute, Judge Tappan^ and others in Europe, who earnestly solicited him 

 to undertake the whole subject of classifying the synonymy of the Uni- 

 onidce of the United States, which was at that time in almost inextri- 

 cable confusion. He did not attempt this, however, nntil the year 1836, 

 when his first edition of "A Synopsis of the Family of ISTaiades" was 

 issued, which consisted of a thin octavo of 59 pages. This volume was 

 augmented in various editions until it reached a fourth edition, which 

 was published in 1870 in quarto, consisting of 214 pages. 



