PREFACE. 



The first idea of this Work arose from the occasional use of Mr. Damon's 

 ' Catalogue of the Shells of Great Britain and Ireland/ named after the 

 ' History of British Mollusca/ etc. Here was, on one side, a very use- 

 ful list of names, without figures or references to guide an inquirer to 

 the species ; and on the other, a very large and splendid Work, placed 

 by its heavy price beyond the reach of Naturalists in general. There 

 was nothing between the two ; nothing within reach that would assist 

 collectors of British Shells to name their acquisitions from ocean, beacli, 

 river, pond, or hedgerow. A public want seemed here to be discovered. 

 It was thought that a list like the above, with a coloured drawing of 

 every spec'es, if produced at an available price, would supply that want. 

 At first no more than tliis was thought of, but afterwards, as the pi-e- 

 parations advanced, various suggestions were made tending to some 

 extension of the plan. The results are here presented. 



About 700 Figures in the Plates represent all the recognized species. 

 They amount to 600, being 60 more than are admitted in the latest 

 monograph. The greater part of these are either new or newly intro- 

 duced as British. The rest are raised from varieties to species. 



As the nomenclature used by Messrs. Forbes and Hanley in their 

 great Work will be most generally adopted in this country, it is followed 

 here with very few alterations ; and the synonyms given (in italics) are 

 selected from those which are most familiar and likely to be met with. 



Some information is added respecting habits and localities, range of 

 depth of marine species, and comparative abundance. The letters C, 

 Cc, Mc, R., Rr., and Mr., signifying 'common,' 'extremely common,' 



