34 Panama Shells. CYPRJEIDJE. 



more important difference is in its form, which is scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable from that of C. exanthema. Although there is a 

 prevailing type of coloring in each of these three species, it is 

 rather less constant than the form, so that C. cervinetta is some- 

 times liable to be confounded with C. exanthema, until we ob- 

 serve the aperture, which is like that of C. cervina. The latter 

 is ventricose, rather thinner, with the aperture dilated anteri- 

 orly ; C. ccrvinetta is subcylindric, with the aperture as in C. 

 cervina : C. exanthema is subcylindric, with the aperture nar- 

 row anteriorly, and the right lip more bent upwards anteriorly. 



Station. At and just above the low water mark of the 

 spring tides, this species was found under stones which were 

 not less than fifteen or twenty inches in diameter. 



Habitat. Caribbean Sea, and shores of Senegal: Kiener. 

 Indian Ocean ? Deshayes. 

 Indian Ocean ; Jay. 

 Panama, and I. of Taboga : C. B. A ! 



The words of Kiener are " Habite 1'ocean des Antilles et 

 les c6tes du Senegal." Since no authority is given for this ha- 

 bitat, and since gross errors of habitat are common in Kiener's 

 Iconography, we must be allowed to regard the statement as 

 wholly erroneous. Some varieties of C. exanthema, which is 

 a Caribbean species, might be mistaken for C. cervinetta^ and 

 thus lead to the belief that the latter is also Caribbean. But 

 C. exanthema is exclusively Caribbean ; C. cervinetta we 

 believe occurs only in the Panama province, as we have above 

 defined this province ; and C. cervus probably belongs to the 

 Polynesian zoological province. We have indeed received a 

 specimen of C. cervinetta from the Sandwich Islands ; but at 

 these islands it is a common custom to collect shells from the 

 whale ships. The habitat assigned to the species by Des- 

 hayes (copied by Dr. Jay ?) is probably due to hearsay testmony. 



Probably the " C. exanthema' 1 '' found by Mr. Hinds at the 

 island of Muerte belongs to this species. 



