THE CONCHOLOGICAL MAGAZINE. 



This is one way, yet I am not in full sympathy with it. It is true 

 that, in consideration of its safety, to transfer the collection is bet- 

 ter than merely to pile it up in my store house. However, owing 

 to the lack of enough room for the public exhibition, there is no 

 difference between keeping by myself and trusting them to such 

 institutions. 



For these reasons I hope to establish a conchological museum 

 for the public benefit and also for the safety of the specimens. 

 A museum of this kind, will give much pleasure not to the spe- 

 cialists alone but also to the public who do not know much about 

 the shells. It will become a favorite place for pastime to the 

 people and then unconsciously they will get knowledge of natural 

 history. There are, no doubt, many species which are especially 

 beautiful in their coloring, the curiousness of their shapes and 

 in delicate sculptures, from which painters will find good models. 

 But why did they not make use of these beautiful shells before? 

 I think, it is because of the lack of perfect and fine specimens. 

 There is a great advantage for these painters if I am successful in 

 the establishment of a complete museum. 



In Japan, foreigners usually visit temples and shrines, and the 

 one Imperial museum. I am sorry to say that there is no place 

 we can proudly show to the foreigners except these few kinds of 

 buildings. If, in time, we have a museum of Japanese shells, 

 perhaps it will interest much the foreign guests. The principal 

 collection in the museum I am so willing to establish consists of 

 Japanese and foreign species of both fresh and fossil shells, with 

 conchological books of reference and many shells wares. I hope 

 to do it as soon as possible. As there are few in our country 

 who are interested with this plan, I am expecting to do it with 

 my own means independently. It must be hard, however, to 

 accomplish in the near future, as I suffered much loss in the 

 past out of my slender means. Still I am in hope the time 

 will soon come when we shall see the first conchological museum 

 established in Japan. I shall be much obliged if you kindly favour 

 my work. I shall be happy if this poor composition will give 

 you a clear understanding of my purpose of establishing a con- 

 chological museum in this country. 



