264 History of Coiicliology , 



with so little propriety and a g-ood deal of vanity, adopted. This 

 excellent volume is an exposition of Cuvier's system of molluscans? 

 with such alterations and additions as recent discoveries seem to have 

 rendered advisable and necessary. It contains a very ample charac- 

 ter of the classes, orders, families, and genera, in which, as is becom- 

 ing-, the attention is principally directed to those exhibited by the 

 living- animal. He informs us that his materials were chiefly taken 

 from the works of Adanson, Poli, Cuvier, and Blainville ; but from his 

 proper study, and during- his travels as an oiScer of marines, he had 

 been able to compare their descriptions, made in general on dead spe- 

 cimens, with the animal in life, and had hence been able to rectify 

 some errors and add new characters. The " discours sommaire" con- 

 tains a rapid but spirited and correct review of the exterior anatomy 

 and principal internal viscera ; and throughout we have scattered no- 

 tices on the habits of numerous species of great interest. Some of 

 these we would have willingly transferred to our review, had our 

 space allowed ; and this is the less necessary as the volume ought to 

 be in the hands of every conchologist. It is, however, too systema- 

 tic in its plan to be considered elementary, for those details of struc- 

 ture, function, and habits, which are not subservient to system, have 

 been purposely excluded,while they must constitute the base of every 

 introduction worthy of attention. 



The " Genera" of Sowerby is just the opposite of Rang's. The 

 latter is a very small and a very cheap volume, the former is a work 

 of large extent and great expence ; the one treats of living creatures, 

 and in every page there is evidence of a warm enthusiasm in their 

 study, the other concerns itself with the shell only, and the letter- 

 press is sobered down to suit the gravity of science. Sowerby's book 

 is in fact intended rather for the collector of a cabinet of shells, than 

 for the student of living mollusca, and to the geologist it is perhaps 

 indispensable. The genera are carefully defined, and the limits of 

 each exactly pointed out, and illustrated by a series of admirable fi- 

 gures drawn from characteristic specimens. It is to be regretted that 

 this work has been so long in course of publication, now we imagine 

 some twelve or fourteen years, — for the incompleted state in which it 

 is left detracts from its usefulness, and renders its consultation very 

 irksome and inconvenient. 



We refrain from giving an opinion of Mr Swainson's Elements, 

 for humble critics are incompetent to estimate the worth of a pam- 

 phlet which the author avows was written because he excells in the 

 knowledge of the subject, and because he had not met with any in- 

 troduction which his children would not hereafter have to unlearn ! 



