West Coast Shells (Classic Reprint): A Description of the Principal Marine Mollusks Living on the West Coast of the United States, and of the Land Shells of the Adjacent Region

Excerpt from West Coast Shells: A Description of the Principal Marine Mollusks Living on the West Coast of the United States, and of the Land Shells of the Adjacent Region This activity has resulted in the accumulation of much new material, and incidentally the changing of many old names. The latter work is an ungracious piece of busi ness at best, and has seldom been indulged in wantonly. But new views on the subject of classification, new researches into former systems of nomenclature, and an enlarged knowledge of the fossil progenitors of exist ing species, have compelled the readjustment of what before seemed settled. It is comparatively easy, when collecting in a small field, to separate the specimens into fixed and definite groups; but as one's observations become extended, the varieties multiply, and increased knowledge of both facts and records causes embarrassment. The necessary changes, however, even of familiar names, must not be too deeply regretted, for they indicate a real advance in our conception of the great plan of Nature. 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.