35° JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY, VOL. 9, NO. II, JULY, I90O. 



characterized by the same critical identification of species as in this 

 and numerous other less important private collections. Although 

 containing many interesting specimens and presenting an imposing 

 aspect in its general arrangement it cannot be consulted as an 

 authority for names. 1 



January o/ih. — Among our amateur collectors of shells are some 

 distinguished by considerable acumen and knowledge of species, and 

 whose collections manifest a much higher standard of critical dis- 

 cernment than is to be found in the British Museum. Among these 

 may be mentioned Mr. Taylor, of Starston, Miss Saul, of Limehouse, 

 Mr. Metcalfe, of London, independently of Mr. Cuming, whose 

 collection contains the types of nearly all the species (and there are 

 many) that have been described in London during the last sixteen 

 years, including the results of his productive voyages in both hemi- 

 spheres. It is to be hoped this collection will go to the British 

 Museum. 



January 2oth. — Engaged in looking over my stock of "Concho- 

 logia Systematica," of which four or five copies have been sold during 

 the last few months, though it is six years since it was published; 

 it is a poor work, would that I had it to do now ! 



January 23RD. — To a meeting at the Zoological Society where Mr. 

 Gray was occupied with a paper on the Turbinida?, in which family 

 he proposes to separate the group of small white species hitherto 

 arranged with Delphinula. Upon which I thought it necessary to 

 state to the chairman, owing to the many occasions in which I had to 

 differ from Mr. Gray's juggling of the genera, that in the present 

 instance I fully concurred with him, having experienced considerable 

 unwillingness to include these with the Delphinula type at the time of 

 the publication of my monograph. A discussion ensued on Mr. 

 Gray's theory of regarding the operculum of the univalve shell as the 

 homologue of the pair-valve in the bi-valve which Prof. Owen and 

 each who spoke on the subject showed to be extremely absurd. Dr. 

 Melville's paper on the "Ideal vertebras" sent me home to bed. 



January 24.TH. — My poor "Elements of Conchology" advances 

 but slowly. Business absorbs my whole day, day after day, and the 

 little leisure I have from "C. Iconica" has been occupied with the 

 shells and mollusca of the voyage of the "Samarang," add to which an 

 occasional love of relaxation in which I find the chief elements of 

 health and spirits. 



January 30TH. — The 71st number of the "Conchologia Iconica" 

 commences the genus Achatina, affording material for several at- 

 tractive plates. There will not be much of novelty to record in this 



1 Happily this state of things has long since altered for the better. 



