36 JOlTRNAL OF CONCMOLOGY, VOL. lO, NO. 2, ArRII., I90I. 



One striking feature of the dawn of the present century is the pre- 

 eminence of the French workers ; save for the interesting though 

 eccentric work of Poli, hardly a single author of that period who has 

 left a great impression on malacology in general was a native of any 

 other country. Cuvier, who published in 1798 his first system, which 

 he devoted thirty years to improving, then divided the mollusca into 

 C^phalopodes, Gastdropodes, and Acdphales. The Gastropods were 

 again divided into those with and without shells ; the former group 

 being also sub-divided into five sections, according to the form of the 

 shell and the characters of the aperture. The Pelecypods, included in 

 which we still find Ascidians, Brachiopods, and Cirripeds, were also 

 sub-divided by the presence or absence of a shell and foot. 



Lamarck in 1799, without apparently a full knowledge of Cuvier's 

 work, gave to the world his first classification, which in 1801 he re- 

 issued with vast improvements and alterations. Practically all of the 

 genera, for example, proposed by him stand in use at the present da}'. 

 In 1800 Fdrussac issued his first classificatory paper, shortly to be 

 followed by many other important works. Passing by Bosc and 

 I^raparnaud, we come to Montfort, whose work is rated to-day far 

 higher than in the middle of the century, when he was described as 

 the "Baron Munchausen of conchologists." From 1815 onwards we 

 have to thank Blainville for much good work. 



In our country the study of the British mollusca proved far more 

 attractive than the larger and broader work of classification ; such 

 writers as Montagu, Donovan, Maton and Rackett, Pennant, Turton, 

 etc., being specially noteworthy ; but ere Gray's arrangement of the 

 mollusca in 182 1, but little general work was done, the most important 

 books of the time published in England being the Sowerbys' "Genera," 

 Wood's '• Index Testaceologicus," and Perry's " Conchology." 



Subsequently the amount of fresh material which came to hand, 

 specially through the researches of Cuming, caused a shifting of the 

 conchological centre of gravity, and just before the middle of the century 

 the work of Reeve, Sowerby, etc., caused this country to hold a place 

 in the first rank. Germany, through Pfeiffer, Kiister, etc., then comes 

 to the fore. 



As a means of shewing the development of our favourite study, we 

 may consider for a few minutes the origin and growth of specialist 

 societies and periodicals. 



An early attempt to found a society in London, specially devoted to 

 the study of the mollusca, under the title of " Malacological and 

 Conchological Society" was made by Sowerby in 1838 with his 

 " Malacological and Conchological Magazine " ; he, however, was 

 somewhat in advance of his times, and the periodical met an early 

 death, only two numbers appearing. Apart from an attempt by 



