128 Dr. Maton's and Mr. Rackett's 



CHIOCCO, 



the describer of the " Museum Calceolarium," gives a very full 

 account of the shells contained in that collection, with specific 

 characters, in the Latin language. These descriptions, however, 

 are for the most part borrowed from other writers. The book 

 itself must have been looked upon in those days as very superb 

 and expensive, and was certainly worthy of the museum which it 

 professes to describe. This museum was begun by Benedict 

 Ceruto, a physician, and even before it received additions from 

 Calceolari, contained an immense assortment both of natural and 

 artificial subjects. The figures of the shells occupy six plates, 

 and are very correctly executed. It appears to be the first work 

 that was written professedly as a description of a museum of na- 

 tural curiosities, if we except OLIVI'S account of the same col- 

 lection, which, however, is very vague and imperfect. 



The forming of collections began about this period to be under- 

 taken by many curious persons, especially in Italy and Germany, 

 countries Avhere, in common with other branches of science, na- 

 tural history first attracted attention, after the revival of letters. 



SCHONVELDE 



(a physician of Hamburgh) was author of an account of marine, 

 lake, and river animals found in the duchies of Sleswick and Hol- 

 stein, Avhich contains separate cliapters on oysters and muscles, 

 pectuncidi, and pedicidi aquatici. The work is of a very superficial 

 nature, and relates chiefly to the culinary uses of the animals. 



NIEREMBERGIUS 



may be included in our list, as having given some account of va- 

 rious Testacea in his ^'Historia Naturce;" but he does not present us 



with 



