2L- 



PREFACE. 



Edward Forbes, in his delightful ' Natural History of the Euro- 

 pean Seas/ remarks that " in this age of volumes, a man had 

 needs offer a good excuse before adding a new book, even though 

 it be a small one, to the heap already accumulated. He should 

 either have something fresh to say, or be able to tell that which 

 is old in a new and pleasanter way." The imperfect knowledge 

 which Conchologists have of the natural history of their Shells 

 would seem to argue that there is yet room for something to be 

 said in reference to the objects of their admiration ; and if I have 

 not much to say in the following pages that is fresh, I have, at 

 least, done my best to tell what is in them in a pleasant way. 



To guide the collector in arranging his specimens, I submit a 

 classification, on the Lamarckian system, of the genera, each with 

 its list of species ; and to lead him to meditate, whilst pondering 

 over the treasures of his cabinet, upon the too little remembered 

 fact of their once living existence, a description is given of the 

 structural peculiarities and habits of the animals. For figures 

 of shells, with the live mollusk, I have resorted chiefly to the 

 zoologies of exploring expeditions, published under the auspices 

 of the French Government. The figure of Spinrfa is, however, 

 an original one, from a specimen captured at Port Nicholson, 

 New Zealand, by Mr. Percy Earl ; and so also are those of 



