F R E F A C E. 
v 
Vegetabilia vel petrifa&a vel in Itatii fuo 
naturali prsefervata, in Humo, Argilla, 
Arena, Marmore, Silice idque genus aliis 
impadla inveniuntur, terraque effoffa dete¬ 
guntur : tanta etjam eorum copia efl, ut 
Teltacea imprimis foflilia quoad Species 
& Varietates numerum recentium, adae¬ 
quent, quoad abundentiam longe fuperent. 
Adventitia haec foflilia quoad maximam 
partem meridionalium plagarum incolas 
fuifle obfervantur, ut Elephantes, Croco¬ 
dili, Squali, quorum Skeleta feu olla nuda 
hodie effodiuntur & de quibus nullum du¬ 
bium fuperefl : idem de pluribus Vegetabi¬ 
libus valet: eTeflaceis etjam, Ammonitse, 
Belemnitas, Stellae Marinae, Anomiae aliae- 
que adfunt, quas in genere dicendo, recen¬ 
tia nunc temporis non habentur, AbyiTi fine 
dubio, aut Littoris Maris cujufdam ignoti, 
loca natalia non amplius deferentes, incolae ; 
cmnia tamen in hac noftra. Infula maxima 
copia proflant. 
Conchiliorum, qu$ heic delineari cura¬ 
vimus, quorumque Specimina Originalia, 
unde figurae defumtae funt, in Collectione 
Branderiana Mus/ei Britannici fervantur, 
pauciflima in noftris littoribus vel in ulla 
alia parte Europae habitare deprehendun¬ 
tur; maximus eorum numerus Species 
comprehendit, quse, comparatione cum re¬ 
centibus inflituta, prorfus non cognitae 
funt. 
Nil jam fupereft, quam ut heic loci et¬ 
iam publicas grates agam Cei. & mihi a- 
miciflimo D. Solander, cui deicriptiones 
fcientificas & fyftematicas fequentes me 
debere iubens gratufque agnofco. Illi, 
quem Curatores ipfi Mufaei inter fuos no¬ 
minarunt, cujufque Induftrise & Eruditioni 
mandarunt, ut lojcupletatifilmae illius col¬ 
lectionis Catalogum, productiones naturales 
fyllematico ordine comprehenfurum, con- 
fcribat : in quo opere etjam jam omni dili¬ 
gentia verfatur. Defcriptionibus Latine 
confcriptis 
Shells , Bones and Veget abies, petrified, or pre~ 
ferved in their natural State, in Earth , Sand, 
Clay , Marble , Flint, &c. and in fuch abun¬ 
datu e, that the tejlaceous Eribe efpecially , are 
equal in Variety to the Number of thofe found 
recent , and in Spuant ity infinitdy exceed them. 
Ehe greater part of thefe Fojfil extraneous 
Subjlances that are known , are found to be 
Inhabitants of Southern Latitud.es, as the 
Skeletons of Elephants , Crocodiles , Sharks, 
and almojl ali the Veget abies \ and of the Ee- 
ftaceous Eribe are found the Ammonita , Be- 
lemnita , Stella Marina , Anornia , & c. now in 
general not known in the recent State , Inha¬ 
bitants , no doubt , of the great Deep , or cf 
fome unknown Seas or Shores all of which 
are met with in great Pknty in ihis our 
Jfand.. 
Of the Shells here engraven , the OriginaTs 
of which are in the Branderian Colledion of 
the Britifh Mufeum, b t very few are known 
to be Natives of cur own , or , indeed , any of 
the European Shores , but the far greater Part 
of them , upon a compar ifon with the recent , 
are wholly unknown to us. 
And now I think I have nothing more to 
do, than to acknowledge myfelf indebted for 
the fcientific Defcription of them to the 
learned and ingenious Dr. Solander, one of 
the Officers of the Britifh Mufeum, zvho is 
at this time employed by the E'rujlees to com- 
pofe a Syfiematical Gatalogue of the Natural 
ProduUions of that intire Colle Cii on ; and to 
declare that I had willingly given an Englifh 
Defcription with the Latin , but that as the 
Subjeci, had never yet been treated Scientifcally 
in the Englifh Eongm , I found of ccurfe tco 
many 
