nd mode
of preserving the various finds, and especially the finds of shells.
When properly preserved and carefully classified they are much more
attractive than otherwise they would be. In almost every home shells are
seen; some highly prized as ornaments, others as mementoes of pleasant
hours in foreign lands; but seldom are our really beautiful shells
represented in a collection.

In this work marine shells alone are dealt with, our numerous land and
fresh water shells being, with six or seven exceptions, small and
insignificant. Of land and fresh water shells about two hundred
varieties, and of marine shells about four hundred and fifty varieties,
have up to the present been discovered in New Zealand. For some
inscrutable reason, however, the New Zealand authorities are continually
changing the classical names of our shells. The names I have used are
taken from the late Professor F. W. Hutton's last list, published in
1904. It is really time some attempt was made to stop this foolish
proceeding. Most of the shells, since I began collecting 20 odd years
ago, have had their names changed once, many of them twice, and some
even three times. It is more than probable some of the names will be
altered while this volume is in the press. These frequent changes in the
names cause great confusion, and but for the kindly help and
encouragement given me by Mr. T. F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., of Auckland, I
should have hesitated to undertake its publication. What most ennobles
science is the willingness to give assistance to beginners shown by
really scientific men, and doubly pleasing is that help to the recipient
when given spontaneously and without stint.

This is the first attempt to publish a popular work on New Zealand
shells, and is written by an amateur for amateurs. Nearly every shell
likely to be met with by an ordinary collector (except the minute
shells) will be found in the ten plates at the end of this work. I have
endeavoured to describe the shells in simple language, as the scientific
words may puzzle some of my readers. For instance, Professor Hutton
describes a certain shell as "thick, irregular, sharp ribbed, with the
margin dentated or lobed, very inequivalve; upper valve opercular,
compressed, wrinkled, with thick concentric laminae; lower valve
cucullated, purple, white within, edged with purple or black; lateral
margins denticulated; hinge generally attenuated, produced, pointed."
When a shell is found that full