Preface. 



the lliells will be found defcrlbed. In arraiighig 

 tbefe, the various genera have been taken from the 

 mo ft approved writers upon Conchology ; to which 

 it has been found necelTary to add Ibme new ones. 

 The number of fpecies having much increafed of 

 late years, it fcemed requifite that many of the 

 old diviiions of the genera fhould be formed into 

 diftin^t famihes ; and as they become more nu- 

 merous, it will no doubt be necefiary to coni^itute 

 iiill more genera, as Fabritius and others h4Te done 

 in Entomology. The Linnaean name of each fpecies, 

 where it could l>e afcertained, or was not indelicate, 

 is annexed, as well as the fynonyms of other authors, 

 and thole of the late Dr. Solander, from an unpub- 

 lifhedMS. of his defcriptive of the fhells in the Port- 

 land Cabinet ; with fome few obfervations on the 

 manners of the animals of particular fpecies ; their 

 degree of rarity, or other remarkable particulam 

 Tliofe from the Mufeum of the late Duchefs 

 Dowager of Portland are marked M. P. with the 

 number of the lot in the Catalogue thereof, where 

 they are defcribed. 



For a defcription of the Corals reference has 

 been made to Ellis's Zoophyte, where the Linn^ai^ 

 and other names may be found. 



The editor hopes, that his confeflion of being 

 but little acquainted v/ith the learned languages, 

 ivill be received as an apology for fuch improprieties 

 in the generic or fpeciiic names as he fears will be 

 found. 



. CON- 



