340 SMITH : NOMENCLATURE OF CERTAIN GENERA. 



Helix lubrica of Miiller and the Turbo trideiis of Pulteney. 

 The former is placed in Cochlicopa (Ferus.) by Jeffreys and in the 

 Conchological Society's list ; in the works of Forbes and Han- 

 ley, Reeve and Turton (ed. Gray) it is assigned to Zua of Leach, 

 and finally in Norman's 'Revision of British Mollusca', lately 

 issued, it is located in the genus Cionella of Jeffreys. 



This difference of location is very unsatisfactory and con- 

 fusing to British conchologists who may not have the oppor- 

 tunity of investigating the subject themselves. I therefore lay 

 before such students the history of the genera quoted, in order 

 that they may judge of their respective merits. 



The whole difficulty has arisen through the partial 

 publication of Leach's Synopsis of the Mollusca of Great Britain, 

 somewhere between the years 1820-1830. Dr. Gray states in 

 the preface to the completed work, published in 1852, that 

 ' this work was in course of printing when the author was pre- 

 vented from completing it by ill-health, in 1820. The first 116 

 pages were actually printed and the plates engraved, and more 

 than one copy of the proofs were in circulation at the time of 

 its interruption.' ^ The first quotation of this work appears 

 in Turton's Manual of Land and Freshwater Shells published in 

 1 831. Z?^ij: /z/Z'/'/Vrt is given among the synonyms of i>////;//?/j- 

 luhricus, and A.ez.cW?, Azecamatoni (=^tn'dens) is acknowledged 

 on p. 68. 



The latter genus however had been established three years 

 previously (1828) by Fleming, in his work on British Animals, 

 p. 269. 



The next mention of Ziia appears to be in Gray's edition 

 of Turton, where (p. 187) it is accorded generic rank. This 

 work was published in 1840, and it seems to me that the genus 

 must take that year as the date of its publication, for the mere 

 mention of it among the synonymy by Turton does not in my 

 opinion entitle it to take the date of his work. 



I The merft distribution of a few copies of proofs certainly does not constitute 

 publication, 



J.C, vi., Apr., 1891, 



