162 History of Conchology in the United States. 
hearts were in their work, and they were continually urged by 
a noble ambition to new discoveries and achievements. 
It must be acknowledged that notwithstanding adverse cir 
cumstances, the field was ‘inviting to our naturalists ; bm. were 
working in a new world, a vast continent. whose varied and pro- 
lific natural objects, scattered as the were, over the broad ex: 
panse, from the ice-bound confines oF the polar sea to the tropi- 
cal regions of South America, had rarely or never met the eyes 
of civilized man. The abundance of material to be worked up, 
must in itself have proved a great inducement to commence 
study of Conchology ; in which even at the present time, there 
: vastly more yet to be elucidated in the United States than in 
urope. 
C. ne LE SUEUR, a native of France, who resided for some 
rode in Philadelphia, where he published numerous papers 02 
cpr and other branches of Natural Science, is the author 
of the first article on Mollusca pen uahen in erica. Mr. 
eur’s paper, which was printed in the first number of the — 
Le Su 
Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadele 
(May, 1817), is entitled ‘Description of six a species of Fi 
observed in the Mediterranean Sea by Messrs. Le Sueur and Pé 
ron in the months of March and April, 1809. 9” - is illustrated. 
Mr. Le Sueur followed this at short intervals, with deseriptions 
of various new species of Cephalopoda and Pteropoda, all m the 
same Journal. 
THomas Say. In the same number of the Journal of the 
Academy which contains Le Sueur’s first paper, and of equal 
date with it, is the first conchological paper by Say, the grea 
of our earlier naturalists—a man who, without the advantag? 4 
a liberal education or sa means 08 which =? —_ been bro 
Sebi ed with brevity. a: few of his species ni been st 
aside. Mr. Say had also the merit of a appending to most of his 
perenne of ies, ks prominent a ; + 
m near. ry allied forms—a very important 
ia ny s ‘principal 
sry description, too generally neglected. 
writings = coanhliey consist of — 2 
1, in the Journal of the Academy of Nat. Sciences, rae 
ais ii, Aa en vy, and ¥, (1817-1826) describing a ae ne proportion as 
: tlantic coast, a majorit of the 
ale inte, together with may fom the So South and We West, and many 
water species. 
2. Article “ Conchol in  Rickioleen’s Si clopedia, 
ak Published also secur y, with the title yop, Amer 
.and fresh water shells of the United States.” Philadelphia, 1818. 
: *, 
veniaanes 
