388 



SHELLS. 



[Chap. XL 



the less attractive ones of the land and the lakes. 

 Hence Mr. Hanley finds it necessary to premise that 

 the list appended, although the result of infinite labour 

 and research^ is less satisfactory than could have been 

 wished. " It is offered/' he says, " with diffidence, not 

 pretending to the merit of completeness as a shell-fauna 

 of the island, but rather as a form, which the zeal of 

 other collectors may hereafter elaborate and fill up." 



Looking at the little that has yet been done, compared 

 with the vast and almost untried field which invites 

 explorers, an assiduous collector may quadruple the 

 species hitherto described. The minute shells especially 

 may be said to be unknown ; a vigilant examination of 

 the corals and excrescences upon the spondyli and pearl- 

 oysters would signally increase our knowledge of the 

 Kissoae, Chemnitzise, and other perforating testacea, 

 whilst the dredge from the deep water will astonish the 

 amateur by the wholly new forms it can t scarcely fail to 

 display. 



List of Ceylon Shells. 



The arrangement here adopted is a modified Lamarck- 

 ian one, very similar to that used by Eeeve and Sowerby, 

 and by Mr. Hanley, in his Illustrated Catalogue of 

 Recent Shells. 1 



1 Below will be found' a general Zeitsch. Malakoz. 1853. 'Anton, 



reference to the Works or Papers in Wiegm. Arch. Nat. 1837; Ver- 



which are given descriptive notices zeichn. Conch. Beck in Pfeiffer, 



of the shells contained in the fol- Symbol. Helic. Benson, Ann. Nat. 



lowing list; the names of the Hist. vii. 1851; xii. 1853; xviii. 



authors (in full or abbreviated) 1856. Blainville, Diet. Sc. Nat. ; 



being, as usual, annexed to each Nouv. Ann. Mus. His. Nat. i. 



species. Bolten, Mus. Born, Test. Mus. 



Adams, Proceed. Zool. Soc. 1853, Ccees. Vind. Broderip, Zool. 



54,56; Thesaur. Conch. Albers, Journ. i. iii. Bruguiere, Encyc, 



