lenfive ; not confined to the clofet, but have drawn the 

 hidden treafures from their native fites. 



The defcriptionsare as concife as poffible, confiftent 

 with the neceffity of giving a full and perfe61: idea of each 

 fpecies ; and figures are given of fuch only as are en- 

 tirely new, or have not appeared in any englifh work, 

 except in ^uch cafes where it was thought requifiie for 

 the purpofe of comparifon.* To which, in many in- 

 ■Ranees, is added a fliort defcription of the animal in- 

 habitant, a circumflance of no fmall importance in aid 

 of difcriminating fome nearly allied fpecies ; though of 

 no generic ufe in conchology. An attention to this 

 alone, could have induced us to refer, in many inflan- 



CeS to MULLER. 



The fynonyms are drawn from fome of the bell au- 

 thors, and mod topographical writers omitted, except 

 in a few cafes, v/here the objefts were in obfcurity. 



b 2 Should 



* As it was iinpoffible to be aware of the extent of Mr. Donovan's cabi- 

 net, or of the flicUs he intended to figure, duplicates will unavoidably occur 

 in a few inftances in our work, as fome of the plates were engraved when lit- 

 tle more than two volumes of that publication had made its appearance. Some 

 fpecies alfo originally intended to have been given in this work, have been 

 anticipated by Mr Donovan, and thereby we are enabled to refer to good 

 figures to illullrate our intcntio.as, without multiplying reprefcnta'ions of the 

 fame fubje£ts. 



