12 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 239 



wanted Dr. Gould, who was well known by this time for his "In- 

 vertebrata of Massachusetts," to write the report. 



Gould was most anxious to assume the task and wrote to Tappan in 

 September 1843, stating he had heard, from Dr. Pickering, that 

 "Mr. C. [Couthouy] told him [Pickering] that he would rather I should 

 undertake the task than any other person." Gould went on to say 

 that, if he were to undertake the job, he would want the specimens 

 sent to him in Boston. "On account of the books & collections in 

 Boston, I doubt not the proper results will be obtained here with much 

 more facility than in Washington .... If I undertake it I shall 

 wish to dispatch the matter as soon as possible that everything may 

 not be done in anticipation abroad." A month later Gould again 

 wrote Tappan : 



I feel that no time is to be lost, inasmuch as every month will take 

 something away from the novelties which we may hope to find in the 

 collections. Every month brings in from abroad descriptions of new 

 shells from the very regions visited by our Squadron; and if much more 

 delay is made, there would be little inducement for any naturalist to 

 undertake the task from the hope that he might contribute something 

 new to the stock of knowledge. . . . 



It has been intimated to me that Mr. Wilkes and Mr. Drayton have 

 an idea, that after they have got all the papers arranged and figures en- 

 graved, there will be time enough to take up the descriptions. You will 

 readily see the mistake of this view; for it is clearly necessary to deter- 

 mine first what is new or worthy of illustration — and this must require 

 much investigation. I certainly do not wish to attach my name, as 

 conchologist, to a selection either of shells or of figures which they might 

 select for me. Mr. Pickering found that many things which are supposed 

 to be new at Washington, have been long well known in Boston, and 

 described abroad. It would be no credit to your Conchologist to be pub- 

 lishing a book of old stories as something new (Haskell, 1942, p. 73). 



This did not soften Wilkes and Gould was not employed. 



Gould did not give up easily and wrote Tappan on December 17, 

 1843: "But the worst of all is that he [Wilkes] does not seem aware 

 of the importance of putting into print as soon as may be descriptions 

 of all objects regarded as new. It is not the date of discovery of an 

 object which gives precedence to it among scientific men, but the 

 date of publication." 



Negotiations with Gould began again in the spring of 1844 and 

 went on until April 25 of 1845, when he began writing the report, 

 although as late as May Wilkes was suggesting that Gould and 

 Drayton work together under the supervision of Pickering. Gould 

 finally won out, seeming a salary of $3,200. His last bill for $1,000, 

 rendered in 1852, was not paid until 1861! 



At Gould's request the shells were shipped to Boston for identifi- 

 cation and, according to his plan, he began publishing brief notices 



