307 



ON HUMPHREY'S CONCHOLOGY. 

 By Tom Iredalk. 



Read 9th April, 1915. 



In the Portland Museum Catalogue reference is made to Huraplirey's 

 Conchology. .Some little difficulty was found in its recognition, and 

 quite a little interest was aroused as to its authorship. The following 

 notes seem worthy of record, as I cannot see any absolute proof, and 

 the fact that it is cited under two or more names needs emphasis. 



Reference to Sherborn's Index Animaliuni (I have used up all the 

 laudatory adjectives at my command in praise of this vade-mecum of 

 the systematist) gave me in the Bibliography the following entries : — 



p. XXX. " [Humphrey, G.] i-vi. Numbers of a Conchology. 

 fo. Lond. 1770-71. 26 pp. 1 2 pis. [No sp.nn. ; some say this was 

 published by Da Costa.]" 



p. XX. " Costa, E. M. da. Number 1 of a Conchology. fo. Lond. 

 [1770]. [6 nos. were published, 26 pp. 12 pis. No sp.nn. ; some 

 say this was issued b)' Geo. Humphrey.] " 



When Sherborn recorded the discovery of the long-lost " Museum 

 Humfredianum " (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. vii, vol. xvi, pp. 262-4, 

 August, 1905) he observed, p. 264: "The sale occupied . . . 

 thirty-six days . . . the last day, taking books, of which Humplirey 

 had a poor lot, the only rarities being seven copies of his own 

 ' Conchologie ' ... As this book is stated in the 'Mus. Humf.' 

 itself to be ' Humphi'ey's Conchologie', it confiinis the opinion 

 expressed in my 'Index Animaliuni ', 1902, p. xxx, that Humphrey, 

 and not E. SI. Da Costa, was the author of the book." 



The fact that in the Portland Museum Catalogue the common 

 reference to Humphrey's Conchology also appears, would seem 

 positive evidence in favour of Sherborn's conclusions, lleference to 

 the book itself, however, appears to contradict that view, so 1 give 

 here the extracts I have observed in connexion with this work. In 

 the British Museum (Natural History) is preserved a copy, and 

 a part with three original wrappers. The lettering of the wrappers 

 read as follows : — 



"Number I | of a | Conchology, | or | Natural History of Shells: | 

 containing | The Figures of Shells correctly and finely engraved, j 

 and accompanied with | theirDescriptions in English and French. | The 

 Avhole exhibited in a Systematical Manner | By a Collector. | 



" Conditions 1. This work will be printed in Im])erial Quarto and 

 on a good Type cast by Mr. Caslon. It is designed to be published 

 in Sronthly Numbers, each Number containing Two Copper Plates, 

 and Four Pages of Letter-Press, with their Descriptions in English 

 and French. The Price of each Number will be Three Shillings. 

 Some Copies will be coloured after Nature, for the Curious who desire 

 it, at the Price of Five Shillings. | 



"London : Printed for the Autlior, by T. Jones, in Fetter-Lane, | 

 And Sold by Mr. B. AVhite, Bookseller, in Fleet-street; Mr. Elmsley, 



VOL. XI.— JUNE, 1915. 22 



