TIIK NAUTILUS. 83 



and other pelagic life, and there was hardly a trace of phosphores- 

 cence, a great contrast to the northern seas, which fairly reek with 

 lite in a myriad forms. We saw Velella and Hying fish (once) and 

 a few porpoises, one petrel, and away from land were attended as 

 usual by the black-footed albatross. 



Here I have been revising the catalogue of the shell collection of 



O G 



the Bishop Memorial Museum, a surprisingly well developed and 

 outfitted museum of Polynesian ethnology and natural history. After 

 Mr. Bishop, formerly of Honolulu, a wealthy banker who founded 

 the museum in memory of his wife (who belonged to the royal fam- 

 ily of Hawaii), the existence and flourishing condition of the museum 

 is largely due to Dr. W. T. Brigham, the director, who has been a 

 resident here for many years. 



The shell collection is that made by Andrew Garrett, and (apart 

 from the great collections like those of the Nat. Museum at Wash- 

 ington, the Academy at Philadelphia, the British Museum, etc.) is 

 one of the best in Pacific Ocean species that exist. There are tf,000 

 or 9,000 species and about 22,000 specimens, mostly in excellent 

 condition, neatly mounted on tablets with printed labels. Local col- 

 lecting is poor. The land shells are found in the wet region high up 

 on the mountains and not near the town, where irrigation alone en- 

 ables anything to grow. There is little on the reefs near the town ; 

 I noticed a Tectarius and a Melaraphe. Plecotrema striata Phil, was 

 the only thing at all common. The animal is much like that of 

 Alexia ; there is no transverse sulcus to the sole of the foot and the 

 eyes are directly over the middle line of the tentacles at their bases. 



There are one or two species of Mthmia here, very similar to the 

 Oregonian species as regards the shells, but these are true Melanians 

 with a fringe on the mantle edge. The muzzle is rather long, flat 

 and tapering, the mouth is a vertical slit ; the colors gray, dotted 

 with opaque yellow and white. A singular fact appeared on trying 

 to drown some for dissection ; although there were no eggs on the 

 shells, there appeared a lot of young Melanians with about six 

 smooth, glassy nepionic, and one subsequent sculptured, whorls. 

 There seems to be no escape from the deduction that these species 

 are viviparous. The grown shells are always decollate. I shall try 

 and bring some home. The live Achatinellas and Auriculellas look 

 like other pulmonates (Helicidse). * 



WM. H. DALL. 



