﻿26 
  ON 
  THE 
  NAIADES, 
  

  

  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  In 
  this 
  river 
  there 
  

   is, 
  however, 
  little 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge 
  interesting 
  to 
  the 
  conchologist. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  which 
  empties 
  its 
  waters 
  into 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence, 
  

   is 
  prolific 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  species. 
  The 
  Symphynota 
  alata, 
  the 
  

   TJnio 
  occidens 
  and 
  the 
  Unio 
  rectus, 
  with 
  some 
  other 
  western 
  species, 
  

   are 
  found 
  there 
  in 
  great 
  perfection, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  tuberculated 
  or 
  

   undulated 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  southern 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  Alleghany 
  ridge 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  reach 
  

   into 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  Alabama, 
  where 
  it 
  terminates 
  by 
  

   spreading 
  out 
  into 
  high 
  lands 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Tennessee, 
  and 
  near 
  to 
  

   that 
  part 
  where 
  the 
  river 
  makes 
  its 
  most 
  eastern 
  angle. 
  The 
  sources 
  

   of 
  the 
  Alabama 
  and 
  Tombeckbee 
  rivers, 
  which 
  discharge 
  themselves 
  

   into 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  are 
  situated 
  in 
  these 
  high 
  lands, 
  and 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  these 
  rivers 
  is 
  completely 
  the 
  same 
  with 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  western 
  waters. 
  In 
  no 
  instance 
  have 
  I 
  observed 
  a 
  shell 
  from 
  

   these 
  rivers, 
  or 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  which 
  possessed 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  those 
  

   of 
  our 
  eastern 
  rivers. 
  To 
  draw 
  the 
  exact 
  line 
  of 
  distinction 
  here, 
  in 
  

   the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  is 
  impossible 
  ; 
  but 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  line 
  

   does 
  exist 
  there 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  a 
  doubt. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  difficulty 
  experienced 
  by 
  naturalists 
  in 
  procuring 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  from 
  newly 
  settled 
  and 
  distant 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  such, 
  

   as 
  to 
  deprive 
  us 
  of 
  much 
  desirable 
  information. 
  This 
  impediment 
  

   will, 
  it 
  is 
  hoped, 
  be 
  overcome 
  in 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  our 
  

   country 
  become 
  universally 
  known. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  place 
  this 
  line 
  

   somewhere 
  between 
  the 
  Alabama 
  and 
  the 
  Altamaha 
  rivers. 
  From 
  

   the 
  latter, 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  valve, 
  which 
  I 
  owe 
  to 
  the 
  kindness 
  

   of 
  Mr 
  Nuttall. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  U. 
  complanatus 
  (Soland.), 
  and 
  marks 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  this 
  river 
  to 
  appertain 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  waters. 
  From 
  the 
  river 
  Appalachicola 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  procure 
  a 
  single 
  specimen, 
  and 
  it 
  remains 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  proved 
  

   whether 
  it 
  produces 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  or 
  western 
  character. 
  As, 
  

   however, 
  it 
  disembogues 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  proba- 
  

   ble 
  that 
  it 
  possesses 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  as 
  the 
  western 
  waters, 
  and 
  its 
  

   neighbour 
  the 
  Alabama. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  soil, 
  it 
  will 
  naturally 
  be 
  asked 
  if 
  they 
  

  

  