604 Note on the Genus Campeloma of Rafinesque.  [June, 
difficult to understand how so accomplished a naturalist came to 
adopt the subgeneric name of Melantho for shells distinctively 
American and of fresh-water habitat, when for forty or more 
years the genus was known to have been founded on a marine 
fossil from the Paris basin, The genus is defined by its author’ 
in the following terms: “ Peristome incomplete, not effusive; 
very thick; white. Subglobular. Marine.” It is classed by 
him as a subgenus of Melania. Following Dr. Stimpson, Mr. Bin- 
ney has brought Melantho into quite general use among Ameri- 
can conchologists ; though occasionally one is found still using 
the exotic subgenus Paludina. 
Aside from the grave doubts excited by the history of this 
genus with reference to its applicability, there comes into the 
question the important consideration of priority. Mr. Binney m 
his monograph makes no mention of the prior genus proposed 
by Rafinesque, whose misfortune it has been to incur the incubus 
of falsification in matters pertaining to natural science. That 
naturalist, eccentric as he no doubt was during the latter portion 
of his career, did actually collect from the Ohio river shells 0 
this group, and did actually describe them. In the Fournal de 
Physique for 1819} Rafinesque described his new genus Cam- 
peloma, citing characters which I translate as follows: “ Shell 
oval. Aperture oval, truncated at base; lip reflected, united in à 
point behind. Umbilicus wanting. Animal unknown.” ro 
the particular shell before him Rafinesque adopted the specific 
name of crassula, and stated that he had only found it in TE 
Ohio. Moreover he further characterized this species aS i 
“ four whorls of the spire reversed,” a quite common feature, : 
every collector knows, among certain species of this class, m 
they are nominally dextral. The assumption that the bei 
naturalist had before him a reversed specimen of Say’s P% alu 
ponderosa is strengthened by his specific name crassula, pepe 
in allusion to its texture. To this again is to be added the : 
mology of the generic name, which, taken in connection d 
cific characters, leave no room for doubt as to the real meee 
the specimen on which it was founded. Being a scholar as 
1 Bowditch. Elem. Conch., p. 27, Plate 1v, Fig. 15, 1822. 
? Tome 88, p. 423. 
. §Test ovale, Ouverture ovale, base tronquee, lèvres reflechies, 
ponts posterieurement. Point d’ombilic. Animal inconnu. 
te 4 tours de spires contraires,” , Loc cit., p. 423- 
E 
unies er 
flexueuses, 
