2l6 MELVILL: BRITISH PIONEERS IN CONCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE. 



same appointment was given him in respect to William IV. 

 He chiefly studied Marine Gasteropoda among the molluscs, 

 and his name will always be more particularly associated with 

 the genus Trivia^ many of the more critical species of which he 

 was the first to differentiate, publishing many descriptions in Proc. 

 Zool. Soc, 1846 — 48. He died suddenly in Clarges Street, 

 London. Oct. 5th, 1858, aged 68, whilst occupied in writing 

 down some descriptions of shells. Mr. Thomas Lombe Taylor, 

 of Starston Hall, Norfolk, who at the time of his decease, was 

 supposed to have accumulated a store of shells superior even in 

 number and quality to the Cumingian collection, bought the 

 whole of Mr. Gaskoin's shells, including his types of C(?/?^ot<^^//«, 

 Marginella and Cyprcea. These were again disposed in 1879- 

 80, when I acquired a great many of the types, and also Mr. 

 Gaskoin's cabinets. 



In 1855 Dr. T. Davidson began to publish some antici- 

 patory " Remarks on the Brachiopoda," which ultimately led to 

 his recently concluded magnificent " Monograph on the Recent 

 Brachiopoda " in the last published volume of Trans. Linn. Soc. 

 (Zoology). He died in 1888. 



Mr. John Adamson, formerly Under-Sheriff of Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne, and secretary of the Literary and Philosophical 

 Society of Newcastle, was an enthusiastic conchologist. Many 

 of his shells are figured in Reeve's classic works, Cyprcea and 

 Mitra adamsonii and the beautiful JSultmus adamsonii will 

 serve to render his name unforgotten. He was born 1787, and 

 died 27th September, 1855, aged 68. He was a distinguished 

 antiquarian, and numismatist, and at one time possessed a very 

 valuable library, but this, in 1849, was unfortunately destroyed 

 by fire. 



Dr. Thomas Bridges, (1807 — 1865), son-in-law to Mr. 

 Hugh Cuming, travelled in South America, as a plant-collector 

 and in search of Mollusca, Mammals, and birds. Many of his 

 specimens are described in Proc. Zool. Soc, 1856. In his honour 

 Bulimus bridp^esii was named. 



J.C, vi., Apr., 1890. 



