INTRODUCTION. XV11 



the fury of frequent eastern gales, while very few inlets 

 occur, our seas might be supposed not very favourable 

 to the production of Mollusca. In fact, the entire 

 district has generally been considered extremely barren 

 in this respect. Thus, in the Statistical Report of Aber- 

 deen, it is stated, that " in consequence of the sandy 

 nature of the beach, it affords no resting-place or shelter 

 for shell-fish; and the shells which are found on the 

 beach, are, therefore brought by the sea from other situ- 

 ations, and generally the fish have decayed before the 

 shells are washed ashore." Very few Mollusca are men- 

 tioned in the other reports of the parishes ; and even in 

 that of St. Fergus, of which the writer holds out some 

 prospect of "a rich harvest of gratification," the number 

 collected on the coast by Mr. Alexander Murray, a very 

 acute observer of nature, amounts only to thirty-three, 

 as named by Dr. Fleming. 



These discouraging statements, the melancholy ac- 

 counts given by the very few persons known to me who 

 have gathered shells in the district, the bleak appear- 

 ance of the coasts, and even of the greater part of the 

 interior, together with the granitic nature of a great 

 portion of the land, said to be peculiarly unfavoura- 

 ble to Mollusca, might naturally enough lead one to 

 despair of much success. But this sterility is only 

 seeming ; for I have found the district as productive as 

 any of equal extent in any part of Scotland, not except- 

 b2 



