THE NAUTILUS. 79 



have attempted to identify bis shells, others reckon him a quack and 

 claim that he should not be recognized. So far as I know, few or 

 none of his types are in existence, and those that have attempted to 

 identify his species have not been able to agree among themselves. 

 His work, like a tax-title deed, will always leave a cloud on what it 

 was intended to cover.^ 



The material itself forms an exceedingly difficult study, even if 

 the literature was in a satisfactory shape. In North America alone 

 there are in the neighborhood of 800 commonly recognized species of 

 this family, very many of which are extremely close, and nearly all 

 are quite variable. Only a small j^art of this territory has been at all 

 carefully worked ; even in New York, Mr. Wm. Marshall is making 

 the most commendable efforts to record their distribution and find 

 out what species belong to the State, a work which has never yet been 

 done. 



In the belt of country in the south known as the "Pine Region," 

 extending from Virginia to beyond the Mississippi, and from the 

 Atlantic and Gulf to the " Hill Country " specific lines among the 

 Unionid?e seem to be almost obliterated, owing largely, perhaps, to 

 the sameness of configuration of the surface, and the uniformity of 

 soil and climate. The British Possessions outside of Canada are 

 for the most part a terra incognita, and of the eighty or more 

 nominal species found in INIexico and Central America for the most 

 part we know almost nothing. 



We ought to have a knowledge of the anatomy of each species, 

 but that is impossible at present, as few local collections are found 

 over wide areas of our country, and of many forms only the tyj^e 

 shell is known. It is enough to thrill the blood of a conchologist to 

 read over the list of those earnest collectors who gathered in the 

 treasures of our streams for Lea, and caught from him his grand 

 enthusiasm ; it reminds one of the roll call of some glorious company 

 of soldiers who perished in battle. Anthony, Barrett, Boykin, 

 Buckley, Budd, Clark, Downie, Edgar, Elliott, Emmons, Estabrook, 

 Forshey, Hallenbeck, Jewett, Kirtland, Law, Leconte, Lewis, 

 Lindsley, Lyon, Moores, Neisler, Pybas, Ravenel, Showalter, Spill- 

 man, Tait, Tuomey, Vanuxem, White and others of whom I believe 

 not a soul remains living. There is no such corps of collectors of 

 Unionidte to-day, and it will probably be a long time before there 

 is again. 



1 Rafinesque's types are in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 of Philadelphia. — Ed. 



