426 APPENDIX. 



In followiug out this particular type I am led to infer a considerable 

 number of other synoujMnes which do not appear in your " Synonymy " 

 published some years ai;o. 



In the Coosa Kiver, abundant studies of synonymy await the patient 

 student who may be favored with unprejudiced duplicates [without 

 labels]. One species of Goniobasis promises nearly a dozen synonymes, 

 and if we do not forget the lessons taught us in analogies elsewhere, 

 we shall reduce Schizostoma to within a fifth part of its present 

 limits. 



And now let us inquire into the " origin of species," not in the 

 Darwinian sense, but with a view of finding an explanation of the 

 huge synonymy that I plainly see is dawning upon us. 



During the last twenty years I have collected many shells and have 

 also received many from correspondents. It has sometimes been my 

 dut^^ to assist my correspondents to identify their species. In many 

 cases in which I have been called on to name species, my corres- 

 pondents have assorted their shells down to the last variety, and be- 

 lieving each variety to be a species, have insisted to have each named 

 separately. This is the key to the origin of many of our species. In 

 other instances, perhaps, parties whose interests increase with the 

 number of species they have at their disposal submit their isolated 

 varieties separately for identification. What wonder, tlien, that the 

 descriptive naturalist should unwittingly fall into a very natural mis- 

 take and describe these shells as new species? 



Very truly yours, 



JAiMES LEWIS. 



