350 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



special point, which I had observed in the organisation of 

 the Mollusca, I placed these animals in a special group, 

 and named them Phlebenterous Gasteropods. At the 

 same time I made known the facts which I had obtained, 

 and the conclusions to which they had led me. The 

 greater number of these facts admitted of being readily 

 verified by any one conversant with the use of the mi- 

 croscope, who would take the trouble of spending a few 

 days at the seaside. These views, however, were too 

 much opposed to accepted ideas, to be received with 

 much favour, and some persons went so far as to deny the 

 possibility of the observations which I had published, de- 

 claring that they were a priori opposed to all established 

 facts and all sound principles. 



In several elaborate memoirs referring to this subject, 

 M. Souleyet, a distinguished navy surgeon, made himself 

 one of the chief organs of this opposition.* He constantly 

 appealed to the names of Cuvier and Blainville, and 

 thus gave to his statements a certain degree of plausibi- 

 lity and popularity ; and in no gentle terms, referred to 



to these Molluscs. There can be no doubt that Cuvier must have 

 endeavoured to form a correct idea of their anatomy ; and he must 

 have observed some of these curious facts, but in consequence of 

 their being so much at variance with what he had elsewhere 

 observed, he may have supposed himself to be mistaken, and on that 

 account refrained from publishing them. 



* M. Souleyet died on one of his voyages. His death caused me 

 deep regret, for all persons who were on intimate terms with my 

 opponent have always spoken of him as a man of perfect good faith 

 and as one devoted to the cause of science. He would therefore, no 

 doubt, have finally suffered himself to be persuaded by the mass of 

 proofs which have been collected since our discussions. Indepen- 

 dently of the memoirs undertaken at the time of this contest, 

 M. Souleyet has left several memoirs, and the zoological portion of 

 the Voyage autour du Monde, performed by La Bonite, in which are 

 contained many observations of great interest. 



