BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



The Mollusca of the Carboniferous period have been carefully studied by 

 several authors, some of whom have published extensive works on the subject ; 

 four of these, Phillips and M'Coy in Great Britain, and de Ryckholt 

 and de Koninck of Belgium, stand out prominently as standard authorities, and 

 are responsible for by far the greater number of accepted generic and specific 

 names. The extension of biological knowledge, and, above all, the universal 

 acceptance of the Darwinian doctrine of the non-permanence of species, have 

 rendered necessary a review of the work of even these great authorities ; and 

 further, the large amount of material accumulated in museums and private 

 collections, has enabled the more fortunate observers of to-day, in a few cases, to 

 place the genera and species in a more satisfactory order on anatomical grounds, 

 not before apparent. 



In the following sketch all reference to the Coal-measure genera Carbonicola, 

 Anthracomya, and Naiadites is omitted, a bibliography of these genera having 

 been given in a previous publication (Pal. Soc. vol. for 1894). 



1793. I find that the first reference to the fossil Lamellibranchiata of the 

 Carboniferous period is by the Rev. David Ure, in his ' Natural History of 

 Rutherglen,' published in 1793. He refers to two marine forms (p. 310), one of 

 which he calls the " Cockle," (pi. xv, fig. 2) ; two others (pi. xv, figs. 5 and 6) he 

 regards as two species of the " multi-articulate Cockle," of which he observes, 

 " The hinge, which is observable in casts only, consists of about twelve teeth 

 on each valve." Under this head figures of unmistakable (Leda) Nuculana and 

 Nucula are given. He goes on to say, " Two species of the Muscle are found in 

 Kilbride, figs. 5 and 6, pi. xvi. Specimens of the former are in casts, and are very 

 rare. The latter are in till or ironstone " mostly in single valves." John Gray, 

 in his life of Rev. D. Ure, 1865, gives Axinus carbonarius, Portlock, as Ure's 

 " cockle " ; Leda attenuata and Nucula gibhosa as the " multi-articulate cockles "; 



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