PREFACE. 



Quin ipsis doctoribus hoc esse curse velim, ut teneras adhuc 

 mentes more nutricum mollius alant, et satiari veluti quodam 

 jucundioris disciplinge lacte patiantur. Erit illud plenius interim 

 corpus, quod mox adulta aetas adstringat. Hinc spes roboris. 



QUINTILIAN. 



f LESSONS on Shells ' may be considered as a con- 

 tinuation of ' Lessons on Objects :' the principles 

 of teaching illustrated in that little work are here 

 applied to an important and interesting branch of 

 Natural History. It is, like its unpretending 

 predecessor, a transcript of the actual labours of 

 the class-room ; and friends who have visited the 

 school, may retrace in the printed work the pro- 

 cess of which they were witnesses. The end for 

 which it is now laid before the public is not that 

 it may serve as an instructive and entertaining 

 volume to be placed in the hands of children ; this 

 end is sufficiently attained by several works of ac- 

 knowledged merit ; which, in order that the sub- 

 ject may be more familiarly handled and more 

 vividly conceived, represent an imaginary group of 



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