222 MARINE SHELLS 



rine shells, whilst engaged in the pursuit of other 

 and more favourite objects. 



No naturalist, however conversant he may be with 

 marine productions, can examine our sea coast for a 

 single day with ordinary assiduity, without disco- 

 vering something new or interesting to reward his 

 labours, and to gratify his laudable curiosity. Ac- 

 cordingly, these researches furnished my cabinet 

 with a great number of shells which were unknown 

 to me, and of which many appeared to be unnoticed 

 in those works on conchology to which I could ob- 

 tain access. 



But, supposing that these apparently new species, 

 many of which, being either abundant in individuals, 

 or attractive to the eye by beauty of colouring or 

 symmetry of form, had been often observed by fo- 

 reign naturalists and collectors, and iu all probabi- 

 lity had long since been transmitted to Europe, and 

 perhaps published in some splendid volume, or, to 

 us, obscure tract, of which the title had not yet reach- 

 ed this country, I was induced to relinquish any 

 further investigation of the subject, and to dwell up- 

 on the hope of receiving more exotic information than 

 we already possessed. 



This course I was the more readily inclined to 

 pursue, in consequence of being informed that an 

 American zoologist had already commenced the ex- 

 amination of our marine shells, with the intention of 

 publishing the result of his observations. Several 

 years have, however, since elapsed without any ad- 

 dition to our knowledge in this department of Na- 

 tural History, from the pen of an American author. 



