331 



OX " THE CONCHOLOGICAL ILLUSTRATIONS," BY GEORGE 

 BRETTIXGHAM SOWERBY, JUN., LONDON, 1S32-41, AND THE 

 "DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF SHELLS," BY JOHN EDNVARD 

 GRAY, 1832. 



By C. Davies SHERBOEiSr, Hon. E.Z.S. 



Read 12 th March, 1909. 



At the request of Mr. Edgar Smith I have put together liere my notes 

 on these two works. 



About 1830 G. li. Sowerbj', sen., and J. E. Gray agreed to bring 

 out a joint publication under the title " The / (Jonchological / 

 Illustrations, / or / Coloured Figures / of all the hitherto unflgured / 

 recent shells, / bj^ G. B. Sowerby, Junr. / with the corresponding text 

 of a / Descriptive Catalogue / of / Shells, / by / John Edward Gray, 

 Esq., F.R.S., &c. /" 



Four proofs exist of pp. 1-22 (Cypraeidse) and three proofs of 

 pp. 1, 2 (Strombidse), and one proof of the original title page of 

 Gray's work (dated London, 1832) in the Gray Tracts, British 

 Museum (ISTat. Hist.), viz.. Tracts on Mollusca, 8vo, vol. viii (4), 

 xi (14), xxi (12), and Tracts on Mollusca by English writers, i (10). 

 The signature of the Cypraeidse reads " Gray's Descrip. Cat. Shells, 

 Part I. — June 1832," and that of the Strombidae the same, omitting 

 the words " Part I." 



It is evident that this joint scheme was at once upset, for in part I 

 of " The Conchological Illustrations, or Coloured Figures of all the 

 hitherto unfigured recent shells, by G. B. Sowerby, Junr." (London, 

 1832), the following note is printed on the back of the title page: 

 " The intention of giving the text of a Descriptive Catalogue of Shells 

 by John Edward Gray, Esq., F.R.S., &c., in company with these 

 Conchological Illustrations having been abandoned, the names of the 

 species figured in each part will now be given with it, and as 

 complete a catalogue as can be made will be added in the course of 

 publishing each genus. Such Catalogue will consist of the names of 

 all the species that can be ascertained, together with the locality and 

 a reference to a figure when any is known : and when there is no 

 good previous figure known, one will be given. A reference to the 

 author whose name is adopted will be added, together with concise 

 descriptions of the new species. The Conchological Illustrations will 

 thus form a very complete addition to Wood's Catalogue of Shells " 

 (Gray, Tracts of Natural History, i (8); Radcliffe Library, Oxford, 

 fide H. 0. N. Shaw). The original circular for Sowerby's work 

 (Gray, Tracts of Natural History, i (8) ) is still preserved, and states: 

 " Price Is. 6d. Part I, to be continued weekly, of Conchological 

 Illustrations ... It was at first intended to have published this 

 work in monthly parts ... it has, however, been deemed advisable 

 ... to publish it in weekly parts . . . the first part will contain 

 14 figures of seven species of Cowries and the Cowries will be 



