Mr. Lea on the Naiades. 539 



thought fit to enter into the construction of a card rack. Even 

 the conchologist is forced to summon both his philosophy and 

 patriotism, ere he can admit the pale purpura, the homely veniis, 

 and the uTicoloured pecten, to take tlieir respective places in his 

 cabinet, by the side of their gaudy congeners from foreign seas." 

 Now this is not only altogether untrue, but is so prodigiously 

 silly as to expose altogether the writer's want of conchological 

 knowledge. The moUusca of our seaboard have attracted a 

 great deal of attention, and numerous collections of them are to 

 be seen in various parts of the United States. Between Cape 

 May and Rhode Island alone, our marine shells, far from being 

 limited, as the writer observes, " to a comparatively small num- 

 ber of species," amount already to 72 species ; further south to 

 Florida we may safely add 130 additional species, making up- 

 wards of 200 species. Where is the collection that does not 

 possess the fine Pecten magellanicus, and P. nodosus ; the beautiful 

 Fasciolaria distans, and F. tulipa ; the Tellina alternala of Say, 

 the Oliva literata of the same naturalist, and the delicate and 

 finished little 0. mutica ? Is the Venus grata, so homely ? Did 

 the writer ever see the Astarte castanea, the Lutraria lineata, the 

 Nucula lamatula of Say, the solecurtis Costatus, the Scalaria 3 

 species, the Lima glacialis, the Solen ensis, the Solen caribeus, 

 &c. &.C.? Did he ever see any of those fine marine shells so ad- 

 mirable for their beauty, and the vividness of their colours ? 

 Or rather when he has glanced over our collections, has he not 

 taken them for what he calls " gaudy congeners from foreign 

 seas," believing that the pale purpura of the Nantucket beach, 

 and the few weather-beaten dead valves he has occasionally 

 picked up on other strands, were all the tribute ocean could 

 pay to the representative of so many American naturalists. 

 What becomes of the assertion of this writer, that our mollusca 

 have attracted little attention, " except for purposes of food?" In 

 what cellar is his extensive cabinet of oysters and clams to be 

 found ? 



At page 170, Sil. Jour. Ap. 1832, it is stated, " The first per- 

 sons who occupied themselves with the scientific examination of 

 this family, were Messrs. Barnes and Say." Dr. Hildreth is 

 next mentioned, " but the papers of Mr. Isaac Lea, in the trans- 

 actions of the American Philosophical Society, stand pre-eminent 



