168 Dr. Maton's and Mr. Rackett's 



was to cultivate the natural history of Ireland, and that it owed 

 its origin probably to the plan originally formed by Mr. Boyle 

 in England, which led to the labours of Plot and other county 

 historians, and which cannot be sufficiently applauded for its 

 utility. On the subject of Testacea Dr. Smith was not very mi- 

 nute or methodical : but the more common and well known spe- 

 cies he is far from having, in all instances, treated of superficially. 



DR. JAMES PARSONS 

 described two species of Testacea in the Philosophical Transactions : 

 but they form the subjects of separate communications, the 

 first of which, relating to Mytilus lithophagi/s, occurs in vol. 45, 

 and the second an account of Pholas pusitta, called by this writer 

 P. conoides, in vol. 55. The latter is illustrated by four figures. 

 The "History of Animals" of Doctor (afterwards 



SIR) JOHN HILL 



contains five good and correct plates of Testacea, each figure hav- 

 ing; its English name underneath. This author divided shells into 

 a certain number of " series," the characters of which are founded 

 on very dissimilar principles, some of them being derived from 

 the nature of the shells themselves, and others from their habita- 

 tions, like the divisions adopted by Lister. The genera, however, 

 have some resemblance to those of the Linnsean system. The 

 specific descriptions are in Latin, but the other parts of the work 

 in English. 



In the Recueil de VAcadhnie de Rochelle is a full description by 



MERCIER DU PATY 



of Mytilus edulis, to which the author has annexed three plates. 



KLEIN. 



