From one of many notices from well known conchologists sent to Mrs. Williams. 



April 24, 1908. 



In my article in the magazine I did not have space to des- 

 cribe the many different points in which your Conchological 

 Collection is unique, and stands out so prominently and you 

 might almost say alone, among the great world collections. It 

 is unique in the lavish abundance of the most beautiful and 

 costly specimens of each leading family. For instance, take the 

 Aurantias, the Scottii, and Decipiens, and very many other rare 

 species of the Cypraeidae, all represented by numerous speci- 

 mens. The same may be said of the pal ma roseas, the rotas and 

 tenuispinas of the Muricidae, and the imperialis, and junonias of 

 the Volutidae. Most collectors would be satisfied with one 

 specimen of these rare shells, but your collection by having 

 numerous specimens, shows all the variations of form and color- 

 ing found in each species, and each one is the finest that can be 

 procured. It is also unique in having so many of the less showy 

 families as fully represented in species as the more beautiful fav- 

 orites. For instance, the Clansilias, the Neritas, Marginellas, 

 Columbellas and many more too numerous to mention, although 

 small and varying little in form, are as fully represented in 

 species as the larger and more popular families. This makes 

 the collection peculiarly valuable from a scientific point of view. 

 Then it is unique as to the varieties and extremely choice things 

 it contains. For instance, the Conus gloria maris, which is if I 

 remember rightly, a finer specimen than the one in the British 

 Museum for which, Edgar Smith the Curator told me, they paid 

 five hundred dollars, and which has been specially noted in con- 

 chological literature for over a hundred years. The Conus cer- 

 vus, cedo-nulli, rhododendron and almost numberless others in 

 that family are fine examples of rarity and beauty. The gem of 

 the collection may be an especially fine Pleurotomaria beyrichii. 

 Of this entire family only about twenty specimens belonging to 



