Historical Account of Testaceological Writers. . 157 



in other systems, to a most inconvenient and perplexed multipli- 

 cation of genera. The parts, classes, and sections also are far 

 from being well conceived, and embarrass, rather than assist, the 

 investigation of the other divisions. 



A philosophical account of the growth, generation, &c. of tes- 

 taceous animals is prefixed to the classification, which consists of 

 three parts ; the first having two classes and seventeen genera, the 

 second six classes and fifty genera, and the third three classes and 

 forty-three genera. There are no trivial names, nor are there 

 many original descriptions of species, most of the latter being 

 borrowed from Buonanni, Lister, and Rumphius. 



The same year 



BRUCKMANN, 



of Brunswick, published a dissertation on the Venus Dione and a 



Cyprcea, and 



FRANKENAU, 



in the Acta Acad. Nat. Cur. on Chiton punctatus, under the absurd 

 title of " Calva Serpentis Americani Diademata." Each of these is 

 illustrated by copper-plate figures. 



VALENTYN. 



Though his descriptions, in consequence of being clothed in the 

 Dutch language, do not admit of very general use, yet he has 

 conferred great benefit on Testaceology by his admirable plates, 

 of which there are sixteen (finished in the highest style both of 

 accuracy and elegance), consigned solely to figures of East Indian 

 shells. These plates accompanied the publication of the " Oud 

 en IS ie ww Oost-Indien," but were re-published, with conchological 

 descriptions only, in 1754. 



Valentyn's work may be looked upon as a sort of continuation 

 of Rumphius's. As, like the latter, he was some time resident in 



Amboyna, 



