128 



savy to enter at large upon a discussion of special faium. It will, 

 perhaps, be sufliciicnt to state that we find within the State repre- 

 sentatives of the M\i)\\\\\is,fiiun(P, viz.: 



1st. Fauna of tlie Atlantic slope. 



2d. Western Fauna. 



3d. Sub-boreal or Circuni])olar Fiuina. 



Writers on the Molluscs of the United States and Canada have 

 suilicicntly characterized these several faunae, and students who 

 may desire to look further into this subject may find it suflBciently 

 amplified in the writings of Dr. Lea, Dr. Gould, Dr. Binney, W. G. 

 Binney, Say, Bland, and other distinguished writers whose names 

 are widely associated with American Conchology. 



In tlie few remarks it may be proper to make respecting Classifi- 

 cation it will sutlicc to say that the systems adopted by recent 

 American Avriters have been retained with only slight variations. 

 The few essential changes which it has been thought expedient to 

 make embrace restitutions and a recognition of the fact that species 

 have not in all cases been classified with a proper understanding of 

 their anatomy. The species embraced in the following tables are 

 compiled principally from the results of explorations made within 

 the last fifteen years : 



About thirteen years ago, assisted by Hon. G. W. Clinton, Mr. 

 W. W. Stewart and others, the late Coleman T. Eobinson (one of 

 the founders and early patrons of the Buffalo Society of Natural 

 Sciences) compiled a list of species collected in the western part of 

 the State, principally in the immediate vicinity of Buffalo. Mr. 

 Robinson's manuscript appears to be very faithfully compiled, and 

 leaves very little to be done to complete the work in the part of 

 the State to which it relates. 



The late Prof. C. Dewey, of Rochester, in a paper' accompanying 

 a donation of shells to the State Cabinet at Albany, gives a list of 

 species found in the vicinity of Rochester, and in other portions of 

 Western New York. Mr. Truman H. Aldrich, while a student of 

 the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, compiled a " Partial 



1 In Ninth Annual Eeport of Uie Regents of the University of the State of New York on the 

 condition of the State Cabinet, etc., etc. 



