PREFACE. 



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LIBRARY 





THE collection of New Zealand Shells now accumulated in the 

 Colonial Museum, and on which the following Catalogue is chiefly 

 founded, was commenced by a small number of species transferred 

 to the Museum by the New Zealand Society. 



These were soon afterwards extensively added to by Mr. Charles 

 Trail!, who collected on various parts of the coast, from the North 

 Cape to Stewart's Island, and also in the Chatham Islands. Mr. 

 Traill devoted much time to the mounting and general arrange- 

 ment of the shells, but the first attempt at their classification was 

 made by Mr. Edwin Stowe, who in 1870 prepared a catalogue, and 

 determined many of the genera and a few species. Mr. Stowe 

 also contributed a large number of duplicates, which will be useful 

 for exchanges, and added a few new species found in the vicinity 

 of Wellington. 



The collection has also been enriched by some interesting 

 species found in Auckland by Mr. T. Kirk, and by Mr. H. H. 

 Tr avers in the Chatham Islands. 



Besides the foregoing, the collections have been added to by 

 the various members of the Geological Survey Department, and 

 by private donations, which have been duly acknowledged in the 

 Annual Reports of the Museum. 



Most of the collections have been made on tie sea shore, and 

 consist chiefly of such shells as are cast up on the beach by storms, 

 or which inhabit the rocks between tide-marks. Dredging has 



