140 GASTROCHiENIDiE. 



their inland position attracted the attention of Linnoeus, 

 whose all-inquiring mind was deeply impressed with this 

 curious, and, in his time, inexplicable phenomenon ;* in 

 Norway, where the importance of the fact was fully recog- 

 nised by the great German geologist. Baron Von Buch ; in 

 Canada, whence we have seen specimens brought home by 

 Mr. Lyell ; in distant and inland regions of Russia, where 

 the glacial beds were traced by Sir Roderic Murchison and 

 M." de Verneuil ; and at home, where numerous observers 

 have noted the inland occurrence of the Saxicavce — above 

 all, Mr. Smith of Jordanhill, who, bringing the knowledge 

 of the conchologist, and the discrimination of the field- 

 naturalist, to bear upon these critical investigations, was 

 the first to shew that these shells alone, from peculiarities 

 of variation and locality, indicated of themselves that the 

 conditions under which they lived were dissimilar fi'om 

 those now regulating the distribution of animals in our 

 seas. We could scarcely cite a more triumphant instance 

 of the necessity of a minute study of the character and 

 habits of our native shells to the geologist who seeks to in- 

 terpret the complicated phenomena of the changes which 

 preceded the present epoch ; whilst, on the other hand, he 

 xa2iy fairly appeal to the naturalist equally to recognise the 

 services rendered, in return, by geological research ; for 

 assuredly it is as vain to attempt to explain the distribu- 

 tion of existing beings on the surface of the globe, without 

 the aid of geological science, as it is to work out its physi- 

 cal geography without a careful study of the changes the 

 earth has undergone in time. 



* Linnaeus, Wast-Gotha Resa. p, 19fJ. 



