The Colours of Mother-o'-Pearl

Abstract

HAD Mr. C. E. Benham given his address when writing to you on this subject (NATURE, vol. lii. p. 619), I should merely have taken the liberty of sending to him direct a copy of a paper entitled, “Prof. Blake and Shell-growth in Cephalopoda” (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, vol. i. pp. 421–427, June 1888), in which similar arguments to those of Mr. Benham were adduced. Now, however, perhaps you will permit me to refer Mr. Benham to Dr. W. B. Carpenter's report on shell-structure (Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1844, P. 11). As for the text-book writers, who usually support their explanation of the iridescence of mother-o'-pearl by reference to the theory of Brewster, they may be recommended to study his original paper (Phil. Trans., 1814, p. 397), when they will see that such a reading of it is both incorrect and incomplete.