Miscellanies. 373 



A very important part of Mr. Lea's memoir is formed by his re- 

 marks upon the specimens in the Parisian cabinets, which aflbrded 

 Lamarck the characters for the species of the Naiades in his His- 

 toire Naturelle des Animaux sans Vertebres. It is universally al- 

 lowed that no parts of the writings 6f the great naturalist whose 

 labors are here criticised, are so unintelligible as those relating to the 

 present family. Swainson has said, that " although Lamarck has 

 described so many (species,) the short descriptions he has given 

 and the want of figures to illustrate them, render it impossible to 

 determine accurately, one half the species which he has enumera- 

 ted." Nor does it appear surprising that this should be the case 

 when it is recollected, that his materials were wholly inadequate for 

 the task, and moreover that he labored under a distressing ophthal- 

 mia while engaged in this part of his labors. 



The observations of Mr, Lea, therefore, made, as they appear to 

 be with much candor, and with a proper regard for the reputation of 

 of the deceased conchologist, will be thankfully received by every 

 cultivator of this department of Zoology. We shall present them 

 in the utmost brevity. 



Unio sinuata. Klein first called it crassissima. 



U. elongata. The true Mija margaritifera of Linn^us. It 

 inhabits the north of Europe. 



U. crassidens. Is the cuneatus of Barnes, rar. a is the ira- 

 pezoides of Lea. crassidens will have precedence of cuneatus. 



U. Peruviana. The plicatus of Say. 



U. purpurata. Lamarck supposed the specimen to have come 

 from Africa, but it probably came from New Orleans. The ater of 

 Lea coincides with the Peruviana. 



U. ligamentina. The crassus of Say. 



U. obliqua. The undatus of Barnes. 



U. retusa. The.^orsMs of Rafinesque. 



U. rarisulcata. The complanatus of Solander. 



U. coarctata. do. 



U. purpurascens. do. 



U. radiata. The true radiatus. 



U. hrevialis. The resemblance to the U. littoralis is so great 

 that Mr. Lea thinks the shell came from Europe, and not from the 

 Isle of France. 



U. rhombula. A young individual of the complanatus of 

 Solander, and from the United States. 



