INTRODUCTION. 



Panama Shells. 13 



the case of several species however, errors have evidently 

 crept in. Either the species must have been derived from 

 other regions and were given to the travellers as natives, or the 

 describer has confounded analogues. The Columbella rustica, 

 mentioned, with doubt, may have been a C. fuscata. Cassis 

 testiculus, which inhabits only the West Indies, Ranella 

 granifera, Pyrula, ficoides, Pyrula vespertilio, and Solarium 

 granulatum, which inhabit the Indian ocean, are said to have 

 been collected at Acapulco. Perhaps the ancient extensive 

 commerce between Acapulco and the Philippine Islands may 

 have introduced, into the dwellings, at Acapulco, specimens 

 of East India shells. 



Next we find in the supplement to "Wood's Index several 

 species from the same province, and most of them were col- 

 lected at Panama. 



In Feb. and March 1823, the Coquille (French) was at 

 Callao and Payta. M. Lesson has enumerated 8 marine spe- 

 cies of shells collected here, none of which are identical with 

 our Panama shells. 



But we are chiefly indebted for a knowledge of the shells 

 of this region to the well known expedition of Hugh Cuming, 

 Esq. This celebrated collector, who has in person collected 

 one-third of all the species of shells now known to science, 

 was occupied in the years 182730 in collecting the shells of 

 this province and of adjacent parts of the Polynesian and 

 southwest American shores. Besides previously known spe- 

 cies, 400 new species were collected, of which a large majo- 

 rity were obtained at the Gallapagos and on the western shores 

 of tropical America. His explorations comprised, in fact, the 

 whole of this 2oological province, with the exception of its 

 northern extremity. The description of the new species was 

 commenced by the London Conchologists in the Proceedings 

 of the Zoological Society, Feb. 28, 1832, and were continued 

 for about four years, until the second and great expedition of 



