Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. 101 



Rafinesque s names are made a leading term, but the 

 unfortunate fact remains that these lists were in part 

 the result of the antagonisms which prevailed among 

 the earlier conchologists. Each felt, or fancied, that he 

 had not received proper consideration at the hands of 

 Mr. Lea, and so there resulted some forced recognitions 

 of Rafinesque s species, in the hope that Mr. Lea s 

 names would fall into synonymy. This very unpleasant 

 episode in American malacology would better be passed 

 in silence were it not that it must come into observation 

 when the final revision of the Unionidte is undertaken. 

 The results reached by Rafinesque in fossil con- 

 chology do not possess the value which attaches to 

 his work in recent shells. Many of the genera charac 

 terized by him are faulty in so many particulars, 

 and have such imperfect description, that, if quoted at 

 all, they are relegated to tables of names of inserta 

 sedis. However, one, a very common genus, from the 

 Devonian, known as Strophomena, yet remains, of all 

 Rafinesque described, to indicate that he did some work 

 in the brachiopoda. Among corals his Devonian genus 

 Zaphrentis yet stands and represents almost the sum of 

 his studies in the ccelenterates. The great majority 

 of his generic and other names bestowed upon fossils at 

 one time or another has been shown to be valueless. 



