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1883] Note on the Genus Campeloma of Rafinesque. 605 
as naturalist, a dualism unfortunately not always enjoyed by stu- 
dents of nature, he turned to the Greek for a generic name, and 
found in it the words xapzy, a bending, and dopa, a margin, an 
etymology in exact keeping with the sigmoid character of the 
aperture of all the species of the genus. 
It remains now to note what has been the reception of Cam- 
peloma by naturalists. In botanical science and in other sections 
of zoology than that relating to mollusks, his generic and specific 
names have received little sanction. But among students of the 
Mollusca one is occasionally found willing to do the “ Transyl- 
vania professor” justice, when it can be shown all but conclu- 
sively that his names are entitled to recognition. For years Cam- 
peloma remained unknown, or if known its claims were un- 
heeded. It remained for an American naturalist to first properly 
apply Rafinesque’s diagnosis, and that naturalist was Dr. Theo- 
dore Gill. In the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy of 
Natural Sciences for 1864,' he cites the main facts in the history 
of Campeloma; shows that it has precedence. of Melantho by 
three years; and that it could have been based only upon a mol- 
lusk referable to Paludina as that genus was then understood by 
naturalists. This is the first, and it must be admitted a successful 
‘mpt to interpret Campeloma and refer it to a well-known 
mollusk, 
Among foreign authors Rafinesque’s genus appears to have 
been as sadly misunderstood as Bowditch’s Melantho has been by 
American Systematists. Herrmannsen? gives the correct date of 
the founding of the genus and its proper etymology, but follows 
enke in making it a subgenus under Turbo, thus entirely mis- 
taking its Scope. But in the same treatise, on page 23 of Supple- 
menta et corrigenda, he refers Campeloma to Melanopsis of 
Ferussac, with a mark of doubt, thus further removing it from its 
true position, Chenu? following the Messrs. Adams, makes 
Melantho a subgenus under Paludina with a very poor figure @ 
ys Ponderosus serving as the type. Like the illustrious syS- 
i atists he so implicitly followed, he makes Lamarck’s genus 
oo a Synonym of Paludina, and further confuses the matter 
Y giving Vivipara georgiana Lea, a place in illustrating Melan- 
co ` 
A Loc, cil., p. 152. 
"Indicis 
mE 
M generarum Malacozoörum Primordia, Vol. 1, p. 161. 
anuel de Conchyliologie, Tome 1, p. 310. 
