284 OBITUARY. DR. GWYN JEFFREYS. 



and some of his earlier papers, such as those on the difficult 

 genus Odostomia, and on the Marine Testacea of the Pied- 

 montese Coast are still valuable. In the preparation of their 

 great work, " A History of British Mollusca and their Shells," 

 Forbes and Hanley owed much to the hearty co-operation of 

 Gwyn Jeffreys. They dedicated their work jointly to him and 

 Alder, and in their preface wrote : " The invaluable and classical 

 collection of British shells in the possession of Mr. Gwyn 

 Jeffreys, and the experience of its liberal proprietor, placed 

 within the reach of that energetic investigator, materials for a 

 work like this, such as no other naturalist could command, 

 but the imperious demands of professional avocations with- 

 held the leisure [to undertake the work], where there was both 

 will and ample knowledge. . . . The choicest specimens 

 in Mr. Jeffreys' cabinet have been placed at our disposal for 

 figuring." The leisure which Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys then lacked 

 was found in later years, and to it we owe his five-volume work, 

 " British Conchology." Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys in this work tried 

 to popularize conchology, and make his pages pleasant reading 

 by introducing much matter which was not technical or abso- 

 lutely necessary. But one misfortune which attended this was 

 the lengthening of the work and the consequent increase in 

 the price, which placed it beyond the means of purchase of 

 many working conchologists. 



Mrs. Jeffreys died a few years ago. Although she did not 

 share her husband's tastes, she was indirectly of great help to 

 him in his pursuits. Clever, well read, and accomplished, she 

 was an excellent hostess, who always made pleasant and agree- 

 able the stay of the scientific men whom Gwyn Jeffreys delighted 

 to hospitably entertain when living at Ware Priory ; and, being 

 a very good linguist, was often of no small use to him as in- 

 terpreter. 



Gwyn Jeffreys' matchless collection, which contains not only 

 the proceeds of his own constant labour, collection, and 

 acquisition by exchange with every known conchologist in 



J.C, iv., Oct., 1S84. 



