90 Panama Shells. PURPURID^E. 



We have excluded from the synonymy the C. cribraria (Buc- 

 cinum) of Lamarck and of some other authors, because at least 

 two species appear to have been confounded. One inhabits the 

 Panama zoological province, and the other, the Caribbean seas. 

 The Caribbean type is that which generally bears the Lamarck- 

 ian name in the collections of the United States. In Jamaica, 

 we have taken several varieties of it, all of which are distin- 

 guishable, by slight differences, from the Panama type. Kie- 

 ner's figures (Buccinum, pi. 16. f. 57) resemble the Caribbean 

 rather than the Pacific type. This author, however, says of the 

 species : " Habite les mers des Indes, 1'ile de 1' Ascension et les 

 cotes de Goree, ou elle est tres abondante." And Lamarck 

 gives as the habitat of his shell, " les mers du Java, M. Lesche- 

 nault." The Caribbean shell, however, has been described by 

 Professor Dunker (Zeitschr. Malak. 1847. p. 64 ; and in Phil. 

 Abbild. III. pi. 2. 7. 1849) under the name of Buccinum par- 

 vulum. Whether there be also an Indian species, which 

 furnished the Lamarckian type, remains to be ascertained. 

 In the "Voyage of the Astrolabe," II. 421. pi. 30. f. 21, 22, 

 we recognise the Caribbean type (badly colored). It was 

 obtained at Ascension Island. 



Station. Under stones ; Cuming ! Sowerby. 

 Our specimens were found under stones, not far above low 

 water mark. 



Habitat. Very common at Panama ; Cuming ! Sowerby : also 



Miiller. 

 Panama; Jay. 



Taboga and Panama; C. B. A. ! 

 Mazatlan ; E. Jewitt ! Gould MSS. 



Most of our specimens were found at Taboga. We collected 

 about 75 individuals of the type which is figured in the Thes. 

 Conch., and as many of a type, which is much more finely and 

 densely dotted with the white or even reticulated only with the 

 brown color. Most of the former are rather larger than the 



