Excerpt from A Popular History of the Mollusca: Comprising a Familiar Account of Their Classification, Instincts and Habits, and of the Growth and Distinguishing Characters of Their Shells The following pages, compiled chiefly from the writings of Mr. Reeve, treat not so much of shells, as of their animal occupants; and this is desirable, because shells are too often regarded as merely objects of ornament or of fancy. Owing to the retired habits of the Mollusca, and to their soft and perishable nature, Conchology has but slowly advanced in the true spirit of a science. Considerable additions have, however, been made to our knowledge of the animals by drawings taken of them of late years in a living state, and a sufficient number and variety of typical kinds have been examined to afford a tolerably ample view of the whole. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.