OF WILLIS’ PUBLISHED PAPERS—GANONG. 417 
Coast of Nova Scotia. Transactions Nova Scotian Institute, 
vol. I., 1863, pp. 88-90. 
In this paper Willis describes his discovery of the occurrence 
of this European species on the shores of Nova Scotia, and gives 
the facts then known to him as to its distribution. He found it 
pretty widely scattered in Nova Scotia, and inclined to the 
opinion that it is indigenous. This was not, however, his first 
announcement of his discovery, for in the proceedings of the 
Philadelphia Academy for 1860, p. 148, occurs a note in which 
it is stated that he announces the discovery of this species, along 
with a European Brachiopod, in Nova Scotian waters, and he 
had, moreover, included it in the earlier “Church Record” list 
described above (No. 1). 
But the paper under consideration was the first of a number 
of papers on and references to the subject, the chief of which are 
those by Professor Verrill in American Journal of Science, Vol. 
IV, 1874, p. 133, and again in the same, Vol. XX. p. 251; by 
A. F. Gray in Science News for 1879; by Professor E. 8. Morse 
in Bulletin of the Essex Institute, Vol. XII, 1880, pp. 171—176 ; 
and by W. F. Ganong in American Naturalist, Vol. XX, 1886, pp. 
931—940 and Vol. XXI pp. 287—288. It cannot be said that 
the question as to whether this species be native or introduced is 
yet settled, for though the weight of evidence and cpinion points 
to the latter conclusion, some others whose opinion in such mat- 
ters is of high value, hold the contrary view. But Willis 
undoubtedly is entitled to the credit of being the first to announce 
the discovery of this species in America, though its presence in 
the Gulf of St. Lawrence was observed by Sir William Dawson 
about the same time that Willis found it near Halifax. 
In estimating John Willis’ position among naturalists, and 
his services to science, it must be remembered that the circum- 
stances of his early life and surroundings were not such as to 
develop a naturalist of broad training and sympathies. Under 
different circumstances, the tastes and perseverance which found 
vent in enthusiastic collecting and careful classifying might have 
