COllRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 213 



Those that this country affords are chiefly in imitation of 

 shells. We have none that resemble fish, or any other 

 animals besides, nor that have the resemblance of any 

 jolants. Cornu Hammonis, Asteriscus, Asteria S. Astroi- 

 tes, and Belemnites of divers sorts, we have plentifully, 

 as also some others that I cannot compare to any natural 

 bodies that I have any notion of One quarry within 

 two miles of Oxford I have searched at least forty times, 

 and sometimes had five or six with me ; yet last Saturday 

 I discovered there three varieties of Glossojietra, though 

 none had ever been observed in this part of England 

 Ijefore, for what I can learn. One of them is a TricMspis, 

 such as Dr. Lister's in one of the ' Phil. Transact.' 



Oxiord, April 14, 1690. 



Mr. Ray to Dr. Robinson. 



Sir, — Concerning the Catalogue of Local Words,! shall 

 add nothing till I hear farther from you, save that a 

 friend, Avhom casually I met withal last week, asked me 

 concerning that catalogue, and told me that he had 

 made a collection of a few words proper to this county, 

 which he was willing to communicate, in case the book 

 came to a second edition. 



Upon this occasion I cannot but take notice that, as if 

 Divine Providence governed even such small matters, 

 when I have been about to publish, or in publishing a 

 work, there have been casually ofiered to me, without my 

 own or friends' procurement, at that very time, some 

 assistance or contributions by mere strangers, and such 

 as knew nothing of the present publication, or at least 

 such as I made no address to, nor expected anything 

 from. Mr. Lhwyd lately wrote me word of a strange 

 snail Mr. Charlton had received from Surinam, Avhich 

 was not above the bigness of a pullet's egg, yet laid an 



