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The Linnaean system of conchology ... / By John Mawe.

  • John Mawe
Date:
1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Linnaean system of conchology ... / By John Mawe. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of the Voluta papalis with the Voluta turbinella, and of the Buecinum maculatum with the Buecinum patulum. How far these objections may be tenable it is not our purpose to enquire, being ourselves per~ suaded that the Linnean system, though capable of considerable improvement, presents the most simple and concise method of aiding the investigation of this branch of natural history. The striking dissimilarity of the species in some of the genera is certainly an obstacle to the attainment of the science; we have, therefore, with a view to facili- tate its acquirement, and at the same time not materi- ally to depart froin the system we bave adopted, formed divisions of the genera, when any marked dissimilarity was observable in the species. And if any of the di- visions retained one leading character throughout, to- gether with some other characters only partially, we have again divided it into families, distinguished by those variations. It is possible that the characters of many of the divisions will be deemed sufficiently dis- tinct to allow of their being formed into additional ge- nera, without departing from the original system. We have been indebted to other writers on Concho- logy for the addition of many new species, and parti- cularly to Mr. Dillwyn’s valuable Catalogue of Recent Shells. Those species which were not found deseribed or figured in the works of any author to which we had access, are distinguished by an asterisk ; we have also named them, considering them to be new species ; and have endeavoured in the catalogue, to place each
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