54 



THE CONCHOLOGICAL MAGAZINE 



plants and vegetables and other products of European countries, 

 comparing them with those of Japan. 



It is said that in July, 1893 — in the 26th year of Meiji — when 

 a great meeting of natural scientists was held in Kyoto as a token of 

 remembrance as well as in celebration of the 40th anniversary of 

 " Boyo's " death, the doctor's son Baron Heinrich von Siebold sent 

 his father's photograph, in memory of the friendship between his 

 father and " Boyo." 



The shells preserved at Yamamotos at present are stored in 

 eleven sets of eight or ten boxes, each set being 12 inches in length, 

 9 in width, and 14 in height. The frontispiece represents those given 

 him by Prince Tadaka Ichijo. One set of seven boxes made of horse- 

 chestnut, witli a beautiful picture of the sea-shore, remarkably well 

 painted all around, is bound with a red silk braid which has a rich 

 tussel at each end. The other is like a lacquer book-case. The 

 individual boxes are made in imitation of books closed by means of 

 a peg or two, usually of ivory. 



These boxes have each its own beautiful painting and in the 

 middle of the cover or lid, the motto " Kai-chin-shu," a collection 

 iif rare shells, splendidly done in Chinese characters. 



Prince Tadaka Ichijo was Her Majesty the Empress's father, and 

 had been taught natural history by "Boyo." On this account, the 

 Prince gave him the two sets of boxes. They are greatly treasured 

 by the Yamamotos, I assure you. 



As regards the shells in these boxes, they are something woith 

 looking at, and worthy of mention here. There are quite a number 

 of species and varieties. Above all, some of them have exceedingly 

 beautiful embellishments worked very skilfully. For instance, Aquil- 

 lits nodifcrus Lam. has a silver tipped mouth and a slender, crim- 

 son, silk braid with tufts attatched to it. Very small and imperfect 

 as it is in shape, it is skilfully worked just like the battle horn used 

 by " Samurai " in oldern times. Sunetta excavata Hani, and some 

 other species are so brilliantly painted and coated with gold in the 

 inside that the brightness dazzles. Somewhat like the breast plate 

 of a Jewish high priest, the inside of the box is divided into many 

 square sections, each of which has a small mat of red or white 

 cotton, arranged in alternate squares. 



