862 
«© These celebrated love-darts are sub- 
pellucid white, and very brittle, about a quar- 
ter of an inch or three-eighths in length, and 
somewhat triangular, like the blade of a small 
sword.” 
Next to the serpula, a new genus is 
formed for such as bear some affinity to 
that tribe, but do’ not come under the 
Linnean generic character, being inde- 
_ pendent, and not affixed to other bodies. 
These, which are entitely of the more 
minute kind, and were almost wholly 
unknown to Linnzus, Mr. Montague 
- has brought together, under the generic 
name vermiculum. 
The genus teredo, our author proves, 
has been misplaced in the system. It is 
a compleat multivalve, and ought to be 
placed with the pholas, or between it and 
the balanus, for it has no affinity either 
to the serpula or dentarium. Inafuture 
edition, Mr. Montague will undoubtedly 
so place it. 
The introductory remarks to the genus 
sabella are so judicious, as well as new, 
that we shall make no apology for sub- 
joining them as a concluding extract : 
*© Before we enter upon the descriptions of 
the several species of sabella indigenous to 
the British coasts, it may not be improper to 
remark, that in placing them amongst shells 
we have deviated from our own opinion, and 
have followed the system of Linnzus, and 
other later writers, in continuing this genus 
amongst the vermes testacea. 
*¢ The tubes in which the animals of this 
class are enclosed, are all, more or less, com- 
‘posed of extraneous matter agglutinated to- 
gether, such as sand, gravel, and broken 
shells, of a finer or coarser texture, according 
to the nature of the animal inhabitant, and 
not prepared by a testaceous secretion from 
the body of the animal, forming a compact 
solid substance, the true character of a shell. 
«* Amongst the sabellz of Linnwus, many 
Tarvae of sub-aquatic flies are placed, several 
of which are to be found in our rivers and 
stagnant waters; but these, deriving their 
origin from winged insects, have no claim of 
affinity to a sabella, much less to a place in 
conchology. 
«¢ We are not aware that any true sabella 
is found in fresh water; and certainly no 
winged insect has yet been discovered to 
perform its change from the larva to the per- 
fect fly, in salt water 
«* Gmelin has enumerated a great many 
sabellz which inhabit fresh water, principatly 
on the authority of Schroeter, many of which 
are varieties only of the same imperfect in- 
sect: the larva of the ephemera vulgata, some 
that of phryganea, and perhaps other neurop- 
terous insects. 
«¢ The tubes or cases in which these lar- 
s 
i ae 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
vee are concealed, aré formed of whatever ex« 
traneous matter is near, and which is en- 
creased as its growth requires. This accounts 
for the many elegant varieties of such tubes. 
Some are composed wholly of small shells of 
various kinds, others of fragmeuts of shells 
mixed with sand, bits of stick, stalks or fibres 
of plants; and it is remarkable, that some 
species attach pieces of stick longitudinally, 
while others bite off short pieces and place 
them transverse, like basket-work, some plac- 
ing them triangular, others quadrangular or 
lozenge shaped ; but the most beautiful va- 
riety is that found in waters abounding with 
helix nautileus, with which we have seen 
these cases compleatly coated, in a regular 
and most elegant manner, with their aper- 
tures outwards, and some of the animals yet 
alive. Another variety, coated with fine sand 
and minute bits of shining mica, found in 
Cornwall, and other streams running over 
micaceous granite, is deserving notice; but 
we must not enter further ona subject which 
more properly belongs to entomology. 
<< Why a part of the Linnean sabella 
should be removed into the mollusca class of 
vermes, and others left amongst the testacea, 
is difficult to determine; for those whose in- 
habitants are nereis, have no more claim to 
a place amongst shells, than such as are in- 
habited by an amphitrite or terebella; and 
might, certainly, with as much propriety, be 
transferred to their proper animal class. 
«¢ ‘That the sabella genus should be wholly 
expunged, and the several animals placed in 
their respective genera amongst the mollusea, 
there can be no doubt; for those whose cases 
are made up of agglutinated fragments of 
shells, the exuvic of other animals, are as lit- 
tle deserving a place amongst testacea, as 
those formed wholly of sand, or composed of 
both. Such are equally extraneous sub- 
stances, foreign to the animals, and are only 
attached by a mucous or glutinous secretion, 
which forms the internal coating, and is the 
only part of such tubes really belonging to the 
animals; and which, in any species, cannot 
be termed more than coriaceous, but more 
commonly membranaceous, of a thin, flimsy, 
flexible substance when moist, but extremely 
fragile when dry.” 
Upon the whole, we congratulate the 
lovers of natural history on the expecta- 
tion which they may justly form, of a 
further elucidation of British conchology 
from the continued labours of so acute, 
so rational, and so diligent an observer. 
Mr. Montague is cultivating the proper 
field for the produce of real knowledge. 
Instead of gratifying an ill-founded. sci- 
entific vanity, in collecting a great va- 
riety of rare specimens from the shores 
of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, of 
which nothing more than the shell is 
likely to be ever known, he is_solicitous - 
to become well acquainted with @ll that 
