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SHELLS OF MAINE. 



A Catalogue of the Land, Fresh-water and Marine Mollusca of 

 Maine, by Norman Wallace Lermond. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



No general list of Maine shells — including land, fresh-water 

 and marine species — has been published since 1843, when Dr. 

 J. W. Mighels' list was printed in the Boston Journal of Natural 

 History. 



Dr. Mighels may be called the "Pioneer" conchologist of 

 Maine. 



By profession a physician, in his leisure hours he was a most 

 enthusiastic collector and student of all forms of molluscan life. 



Enthusiasm such as his was "contagious"' and he soon had 

 gathered about him a little band of active students and collectors. 

 Of these Capt. Walden of the U. S. Revenue Cutter "Morris" 

 was dredging in deep water and exploring the eastern shores 

 and among the islands, and "by his zeal procured many rare 

 species ;" Dr. Ray, principal of the Insane Hospital at Augusta, 

 collected the land and fresh water forms in the vicinity of that 

 city; Dr. Milliken of Unity in Waldo county and Dr. True, 

 principal of the academy at Monmouth in Kennebec county, 

 collected in those counties. 



These collectors were pursuing their favorite "hobby," in 

 the late thirties and early forties. 



In 1 85 1 Dr. William Stimpson, the noted conchologist of 

 Massachusetts, published his "Shells of New England," which 

 included many Maine records. His "Synopsis of the Marine 

 Invertebrata of Grand Manan," containing a list of the mollusca 

 dredged by him off that island, was published in 1854; and in 

 i860 the Smithsonian Institution published his "Check List" of 

 New England Shells, Nos. i to 6. 



In the early fifties, J. W. Chickering, Jr., and Edward S. 

 Morse became students of conchology under Dr. Mighels. 



In 1854 J. W. Chickering, Jr., published his "List of Marine, 

 Fresh water and Land Shells, found in the immediate vicinity 

 of Portland." ^ 



