6 PREFACE. 



profit, brought to one of these officers a chicken's foot, and 

 offered it for sale ; and by way of insisting upon its value, said, 

 as he> pulled the tendon which was attached to its toes, " See how 

 nicely it works ;" and was it not more worthy of attention and 

 thought than all the idols of wood and stone that could be col- 

 lected ? 



Fictions are the works of man, but the wonderful truths of the 

 universe are the creations of Omnipotence ; yet we bestow more 

 time and more interest on the last novel, in many instances, than 

 would be sufficient to lead us to the contemplation of all the beau- 

 tiful and magnificent productions which it was Adam's duty to 

 name. Whoever reveres his God, should be able to contemplate 

 his works understandingly, and be able to perceive the beauty of 

 design, the adaptation of the organization, the various forms of 

 life, to the circumstances in which life is placed, and perceive the 

 same wise hand in the structure of the snail, as in the complete 

 and perfect animal, man ; and learn too, that even an oyster is 

 within the scheme and protection of Providence. 



In forming this little volume, besides the works of MM. Ed- 

 wards and Comte, those of Cuvier, Lamarck, Blainville and Cap- 

 tain Thomas Brown have been consulted and freely used. 



Many of the engravings are copied from the works of M. Blain- 

 ville ; and, it is believed, the engraving, which was done by Mr. 

 G. Thomas, (No. 37 South Third Street,) will compare favour- 

 ably with anything of the kind ever offered to the American 

 public. 



The etymology and pronunciation of the technical words have 

 been placed at the foot of the page. 



This little volume offers the means of becoming acquainted 

 with the history of soft animals and conchology, and opens the 

 way to an advantageous perusal of more complete and ample 

 treatises on the subject. 



Philadelphia, June 1, 1844. 



