AN 



INTRODUCTION 



TO 



THE STUDY OF CONCHOLOGY. 



CHAPTER I. 



PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 



Aristotle appears to be the first writer of eminence on shells 

 that we are acquainted with * : he formed them into three di- 

 visions, Univalves, Bivalves, and Turbinated Shells : many of 

 the terms which he applied to his subdivisions still remain in 

 use, as Lepas, Solen, Pinna, Buccina, Nerita, &c. But the num- 

 ber of shells known at that time was very small. About the 

 year 1681 Philip Buonanni published his work, containing 

 above 500 figures of shells -f ; and about the year 1685 Dr. 

 Martin Lister published his great work entitled Historia sive 

 Synopsis Methodica ConcliyliormnX,v/\\\c\\ contains about 1 100 

 figures of shells. In the year 1742 Gualtierius published 

 his Index Testaruni Conchylioruni qnce adservantnr in Museo 

 Nicolai Gualtieri, Philosophi et Medici Collegiali Florentini^, 

 in which he gives 110 plates, containing figures of between 

 1100 and 1200 shells, mostly represented in two diff'erent 

 positions. In the same year M. d'Argenville published an 



* Linn.Trans.vol.7.p.l21. + Ibid.p.l36. J Ibid.p.l38. § Ibid.p.l63. 



B 



