116 



It may possibly be remarked, that in the preced- 

 ing description of the genera of shells, no mention 

 has been made by name, of the systems and opi- 

 nions of either former or contemporary writers on 

 the subject. This omission has not arisen from 

 any want of respect to the literary labours of those 

 who, with great research and skill, have brought 

 the science of Conchology to its present state, or 

 of those who, like the author, have availed them- 

 selves largely of the written documents furnished 

 by works in the German, French, and Latin 

 anguageSj^which have not been translated into our 

 own. The names of Testaceological writers, and 

 the titles of their books, with short notices on some, 

 will be given in another place : but it has appeared 

 to be one great source of the uncertainty and con- 

 fusion attending this branch of study, that the 

 beginner had not only to learn a system, but to 

 select one from many extremely different, placed 

 for comparison in the same page. It would be 

 inconsistent with the professed object of this ele- 

 mentary treatise to insert a variety of theoretical 

 matter, which could only tend to divert the mind 



