viii PREFACE. 



appendix to Yate's " Account of New Zealand," 1835, and 

 descriptions of ten new species were given. 



The New Zealand molluscs collected during the United States 

 Exploring Expedition, commanded by Charles Wilkes, 1838-42, 

 were obtained at the Bay of Islands, Akaroa, and the Auckland 

 Islands. J. P. COUTHOUY was conchologist of the expedition, 

 but was prevented through ill health from making notes after 

 arrival at Samoa. AUGUSTUS A. GOULD described the molluscs 

 in the " Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History," 

 1846-50 ; also, as a separate volume, " Expedition Shells," 

 1846. Later they have been more fully described, and also 

 figured, in the official work, " United States Exploring Expedi- 

 tion," vol. xii, Mollusca and Shells, 1852, with an atlas of 

 plates in folio. 



The " Venus," under command of A. DU PETIT-THOUARS, 

 paid a visit to the Bay of Islands in October, 1838 ; but 

 few shells were collected. 



In 1840 Dr. E. DIEFFENBACH visited the North Island of 

 New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, and brought back with 

 him fifty-eight species of shells, which were enumerated and 

 the new species described by Dr. J. E. GRAY in the appendix 

 to Dieft'enbach's " Travels in New Zealand," vol. ii, 1843. 



The French ships " Astrolabe " and " Zelee " visited in 1841 

 the Bay of Islands, Akaroa, Port Chalmers, and the Auckland 

 Islands. The records' on the Mollusca of this voyage, extending 

 over the period 1837-41, called " Voyage au Pole Sud," vol. v, 

 1854, were written by HOMBRON and JACQUINOT, and accompanied 

 by fine illustrations. 



In the same year (1841) H.M.S. '''Erebus" and "Terror," 

 under the command of Sir James Ross, visited Campbell Island, 

 the Auckland Islands, and the Bay of Islands. The Mollusca 

 of the expedition were not published until June, 1874, by 

 EDGAR A. SMITH, of the British Museum, the publication con- 

 taining also illustrations of type specimens not figured before. 



In 1842 Dr. STANGER sent to the British Museum shells 

 which had been collected in New Zealand by Dr. SINCLAIR. 



During the years 1847-49 H.M.S. ' Acheron ' was engaged 

 surveying the coast of the islands, and in 1849 the couchologist 

 FREDERICK STRANGE visited New Zealand in her, touching at 



