OF CONCHOLOGY. 133 



nexion with the science, and may 

 therefore with much propriety be 

 omitted, as a Naturalist would prefer 

 a worn, or even a broken specimen, to 

 one either altered, or coloured and 

 varnished ; to improve it, and make it 

 pleasing to the eye. Surely the lover 

 of nature must look with contempt on 

 all artificial means, employed either to 

 alter or amend the sacred works of 

 nature. It will be sufficient to point 

 out the means of simply cleaning tes- 

 taceous bodies. 



When shells are perforated by sea 

 tvorms, or when any other accidental 

 circumstance occurs, to deform a good 

 specimen, it is certainly desirable to 

 use some means to improve it; and 

 for this purpose a putty may be made 

 of fine whitening, Jlour, and glue ; 

 the holes or cracks may be filled up 

 with this composition, and allowed to 

 dry; it should always be a little above 

 the surface, and cautiously scraped 



