154 LECTURES ON MOLLUSCA. 



taken no steps to make their works known in other countries. In real, 

 and even necessary, ignorance of their labors, or in despair of under- 

 standing them, or purposely ignoring the existence of what was care- 

 lessly done, the same shells have been named over and over again, 

 thereby burdening the memory and confusing the young student with 

 a mass of unnecessary, meaningless, or even barbarous terms. Even 

 this evil could be borne ; for the synonymy could be made out, and 

 henceforth all but the right name disregarded ; if naturalists were 

 agreed as to the right principles of selection. The absolute law of 

 priority is followed by some as the most convenient. Others think 

 that to discard names universally accepted, merely because some ob- 

 scure amateur published a tract a few years earlier, or some Curator of 

 a museum wrote his fancy names on the specimens a year in advance, 

 or an auctioneer named his wares to effect a sale, is to strain a prin- 

 ciple contrary to the law of use. The British Association for the 

 advancement of Science issued a series of regulations which were gen- 

 erally approved, and which were republished by the American Asso- 

 ciation. But Science is a republic in which the minority refuses to be 

 ruled by the majority ; and it so happens that the newest authors have 

 set the Scientific Associations at defiance. Those who have no access 

 to books naturally follow the newest authorities, especially when these 

 have deserved well of science by their discoveries. Hence we must 

 hold our names in abeyance, and wait till better times ; taking care 

 at any rate not to add to the confusion. The limitations of the law of 

 priority laid down by the British and American Associations appear 

 however to be sound. A naturalist ought not to want his own name 

 to appear, even though the first given, if the wide use of another makes 

 it more convenient for science. Personal considerations ought always 

 to give way to utility : because the knowledge is the end ; the helpers 

 to the acquisition of that knowledge are only means to that end. And 

 what of honor the Christian naturalist would not claim for himself, 

 against the uses of science, he is not bound, for the mere semblance of 

 justice, to reserve for others. According to the laws of all civilized 

 nations, possession of property for a given term of years confers legal 

 right. A similar statute of limitations for scientific nomenclature 

 would save a vast amount of time from being frittered away on merely 

 archaeological research, or worse than empty recrimination. 



Those who are not deterred by the above statement of difficulties 

 from the study of shells are recommended to possess themselves of the 

 following works : "Woodward's Manual of the Mollusca : London, 

 John Weale." — " Philippi's Handbuch der Conchyliologie und Mala- 

 cozoologie. Halle, 1853." — "Genera of Kecent Mollusca by H. & A. 

 Adams: London, Van Voorst." — Dr. J. E. Gray's " Guide to the Sys- 

 tematic Distribution of Mollusca in the British Museum, London." — 

 Chenu's "Manuel de Conchyliologie et de Paleontologie Conchyliol- 

 ogique : Paris." These are all cheap books. Woodward's contains 

 by far the greatest amount of information in the smallest compass, and 

 is well illustrated. The work of Philippi has no plates, nor has that 

 of Gray. The Adams' figure the animals when known ; but, with 

 Gray, disregard the British Association rules, and upset the familiar 

 Lamarckian names. Chenu's work (which, with Gray's, is still un- 



