﻿CONCLUDIiNG 
  REMARKS. 
  

  

  The 
  reader 
  of 
  the 
  Introduction 
  to 
  this 
  paper, 
  and 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Gould's 
  

   Introduction 
  to 
  his 
  great 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  Shells 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States' 
  Exploring 
  Expedition, 
  may 
  be 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  coinci- 
  

   dence 
  of 
  opinions 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   species, 
  and 
  to 
  errors 
  in 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  their 
  habitats 
  and 
  

   distinctive 
  characters. 
  The 
  coincidence 
  is 
  so 
  exact, 
  that 
  it 
  

   might 
  naturally 
  be 
  supposed 
  that 
  these 
  opinions 
  originated 
  

   in 
  a 
  single 
  source. 
  Such 
  was 
  their 
  origin 
  ; 
  but 
  that 
  source 
  was 
  

   the 
  book 
  of 
  nature. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  after 
  both 
  Introductions 
  

   had 
  been 
  written, 
  that 
  opportunities 
  occurred 
  for 
  a 
  free 
  inter- 
  

   change 
  of 
  views 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Gould. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  with 
  the 
  

   liveliest 
  satisfaction 
  that 
  we 
  derive 
  assurance 
  of 
  their 
  correctness, 
  

   both 
  from 
  the 
  extent 
  and 
  accuracy 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Gould's 
  knowledge 
  

   and 
  also 
  from 
  the 
  coincidence 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  independent 
  

   investigations. 
  

  

  To 
  avoid 
  delay, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  work 
  off 
  the 
  sheets 
  

   of 
  this 
  article 
  without 
  revision 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  : 
  hence 
  some 
  

   errors 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  detected, 
  and 
  if 
  many 
  more 
  should 
  not 
  

   be 
  discovered 
  by 
  others, 
  we 
  shall 
  be 
  agreeably 
  disappointed. 
  

   We 
  liave, 
  however, 
  some 
  confidence 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  exceed 
  

   in 
  magnitude 
  those 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  endeavored 
  to 
  eliminate 
  from 
  

   Conchological 
  literature. 
  All 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  error 
  : 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  reasonably 
  expected, 
  that, 
  as 
  in 
  Astronomy 
  rude 
  approxima- 
  

   tions 
  have 
  been 
  repeatedly 
  corrected 
  with 
  successive 
  advances 
  

   towards 
  absolute 
  accuracy, 
  so 
  in 
  Zoology 
  the 
  errors 
  respecting 
  

   geographical 
  distribution 
  and 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  species 
  will 
  be 
  

   gradually 
  eliminated. 
  A 
  real 
  advance 
  towards 
  accuracy, 
  how- 
  

   ever 
  small, 
  will 
  be 
  an 
  ample 
  reward 
  for 
  a 
  labor 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   performed 
  con 
  amore. 
  

  

  