284 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON CONCHOLOGY, 



For 1865. 



To the Curators of the Academy of Natural Sciences : 



Gentlemen, During the present year the Conchological collection has been 

 increased by the addition of abaut 1400 species (4000 specimens) of which 

 more than one half are new to us. 



Among these donations, two deserve especial notice, viz. : 



1st. A collection of 400 species from Mazatlan and Cape St. Lucas. These 

 are named by Mr. Philip P. Carpenter, and the collection is extremely valuable 

 to us, from the fact that this gentleman has devoted many years to the special 

 study of the Mollusca of our Pacific Coast. 



A small portion of this collection was purchased by the Academy, but most 

 of the species were generously presented by Mr. Carpenter, who, in manycases, 

 has contributed the only duplicates of rare species from his own cabinet. 



2d. We have received from the Smithsonian Institution over 800 species of 

 shells collected by Wilkes' Exploring Expedition. These shells have all been 

 labelled by the late Mr. Hugh Cuming, after comparison'with the types in his 

 own collection. Among them are a number of types of new species described 

 by Dr. A. A. Gould, in his "Report on the Mollusca of the Expedition." 



With great satisfaction the Committee announce to you that, with a few 

 trifliog exceptions, they have during the present year completed the labelling 

 and arrangement of the entire Conchological Collection. The task has been 

 an arduous one ; over 7000 labels have been written, and corresponding entries 

 made in the Catalogue during the year. 



lu almost every instance it has been necessary to determine the species by 

 reference to the Library of the Academy. The splendid donations of sheila 

 made by the late Dr. T. B. Wilson, were accompanied by loose numbers refer- 

 ring to catalogues drawn up by eminent London Conchologists ; in the con- 

 fusion attending the removal of our collection when the last addition was 

 made to our building, nearly all of these numbers were so displaced as to be 

 useless. This confusion, (certainly unavoidable, as the Academy has never 

 possessed adequate means to ensure the proper care of its collections) is deeply . 

 to be regretted, as the Committee have been compelled to substitute their own 

 instead of the original more authentic labels. The Academy has not recently 

 been able to continue to supply its library with Conchological works, which 

 has increased our difficulties. 



When Dr. Wilson's collections were presented to the Academy, they con- 

 tained about 400 new species. These were not published in England until 

 several years afterwards, and if we had possessed the means to have them im- 

 mediately labelled and exhibited, we would doubtless have published most of 

 them in our Proceedings, and thus received a large portion of tho renown 

 which has attached to an European Journal among Couchologist3. 



The Cabinet now contains upwards of 13,000 species, and is the largest in 

 America. 



Having no published Catalogue of our collection and its duplicates, a neces- 

 sary basis for extensive exchanges, the Committee have effected very little in 

 this way. There is probably no other department of the Museum possessing 

 such numerous duplicates, so that the collection could be greatly enlarged by 

 exchanges. 



The systematic classification of the shells was, until this year, chiefly La- 

 marckian, but the Committee have substituted for this the more scientific 

 arrangement of recent systematists. At present the mariae shells are classi- 

 fied according to the system of Messrs. H. and A. Adams, w.th modifications ; 

 the terrestrial shells according to that of Dr. Louis Pfeiffer, and the UnionidcP 

 and fresh water Gasteropods to those of Messrs. Lea, Binney and Tryon. The 



[Dec. 



