12^ 



SHELLS (CONCHOLOGY). 



This department has just been added, and consists 

 of an extensive collection of beautiful and rare shells 

 from every part of the known world ; they princi- 

 pally occupy the centre of the Great Room, and are 

 arranged in their respective families, according to the 

 Linnaean classification, in Cases, and under large 

 Glass Shades, upon appropriate bronzed stands, and 

 make with the Fishes, Crabs, Asterias, Echini, Ma- 

 drepores, Gorgonia, Lsis, Sponges, and other Marine 

 productions, a most interesting display of the inhabi- 

 tants of the waters. About one thousand four hun- 

 dred have their generic names attached to the Cases, 

 and the most remarkable have their specific also; 

 to enumerate which would far exceed the limits of a 

 work of this description. The History of the Paper 

 Nautilus (Argonauta Argo) is, however, so remark- 

 able, that it cannot be omitted. 



Pope, in his Essay on Man, alludes to it, where 

 he says — 



*' Leam of the little Nautilus to sail: 



" Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale.'* 



Pliny describes it thus : " But amongst the princi- 

 pal miracles of nature is the animal called Pompilos 

 or Nautilus; it ascends to the surface of the sea in 

 a supine posture, and gradually raising itself up, 

 forces, by means of its tube, all the water from the 

 shell, in order that it may swim the more readily ; 



