30 



REVIEW. 



1. A Catalogue of Recent Shells, with descriptions of new or rare 

 species in the Collection of John C. Jay, M. D. second edition 

 JSfeiv For^ 1836, illustrated br/ four plates. 



Here is a Catalogue of Shells consisting of nriore than 4000 species, 

 we believe the most extensive that has yet appeared in print. As such vpe 

 think it may be useful, though even in that respect it is evidently far 

 short of what might be done with ease at the present time. But it is 

 sent out with such unpretending modesty that criticism is disarmed, and 

 our business is only to point out to Dr. Jay a few of the most important 

 errors and to offer him our best thanks for his very acceptable little book. 

 First then let us inform him that Aphrodite Columha of Lea, is nei- 

 ther more nor less than the well-known Cardium Granlandicum of 

 Lamarck, and that it decidedly belongs to the family of the Cardiacea, 

 and not to the Conchce Jluviatiles ; secondly, we regret that Dr. Jay has 

 not informed us whose genus Dythalmia is, and where the descrip- 

 tion of it is to be found ; we ask this because we strongly suspect it to 

 be the same thing as that which has been called Drcissena by some 

 continental writer and no other than the Mytilas Polymorphus of Gmel. 

 We mention this merely because we would take this opportunity of 

 cautioning those who take upon themselves the responsibility of giving 

 names, to endeavour first to ascertain what has been done by others, 

 and not hastily to give a generic appellation to a subject which may 

 already have one or even more. We do not intend to find fault with 

 the establishment of this genus, but we believe this will prove to be the 

 second generic name which has been applied to it. The word itself, 

 moreover, appears to us to be of Greek derivation, and we fear it is not 

 classically compounded. We are surprised to see Laplysia used, in this 

 and some other very modern works, instead of the corrected term 

 Aplysia. But we say no more at present on nomenclature, reserving 

 some hints on that suhjcct for an oppoilunity of giving ihem more fully 



