Pvn H,i I'UitlS

and, moreover,
GALEOMMA. 185
it wants the characteristic feature of the
last-mentioned genus, viz. the numerous cardinal teeth :
the hinge of Galeomma has no tooth of any kind. Its
habit of active locomotion, the structure of its shell, and
its internal cartilage connect it with Lepton; but in
that genus the shell is capable of being completely
closed, and it is furnished with both cardinal and lateral
teeth. Forbes and Hanley united the present family
with KelliidcB ;
and Clark placed it, as well as the genus
Lepton, in the Area family. Gray proposed to make
one family of Galeomma, and another of Lepton; but
the latter does not form an isolated or aberrant group,
like the former ; and if every genus is to be raised to
the rank of a family, the organization of natural history
may be compared to an army consisting of officers only.
The members of this family, although by no means
numerous, are widely distributed over the globe, except
towards the north pole. Our single European species
does not seem to have travelled to a higher latitude than
the southern coasts of Great Britain.
Genus GALEOM'MA*, Turton. PI. IV. f. 6.
Characters described above, as belonging to the
family.
The singular shell which represents this genus in the
European fauna was discovered by Dr. Turton nearly
forty years ago ; and its no less remarkable animal was
first noticed by Scacchi, a Neapolitan conchologist.
In 1834? Quoy and Gaimard published an account of
another species, which they referred provisionally to
Psammobia, and which constitutes one of the numerous
additions to science made in the course of their cele-
* Cat's eye.