Lower Californian Shells. i 



o 



at the same time I am in favor of retaining many others as sub- 

 species or varieties. Those who have seen Mr. Hemphill's recent 

 Catalogue of N. Amer. Shells, etc., will understand how the multi- 

 plication of names may be carried to excess, and I therefore men- 

 tion only those that are best defined. Many more local forms must 

 be collected before they can be properly defined. 



It will be observed on measuring the peninsula as mapped by 

 the U. S. Coast Survey, that on account of its position, oblique to 

 the meridians, it is much longer than would appear by a calcula- 

 tion from latitudes, the difference being 120 statute miles, and total 

 length 820 miles. The distances apart will thus be greater than the 

 degrees of latitude indicate, by nearly fifteen miles in every hundred, 

 in the long axis of the peninsula. 



I refer to this because I have found it necessary to give the lati- 

 tudes of localities on account of the frequent repetition of names, 

 in places at various distances apart. By referring to Mr. Brande- 

 gee's map, we find that towns, old missions, ranches and water- 

 holes (camping places), may each have the same name though far 

 apart, and that bays, points and islands add to the confusion. Thus 

 they can only be distinguished by giving the latitude as near as 

 possible, those on the coast only being exact. Such errors of local- 

 ities are mentioned as to fourteen out of forty-eight species men- 

 tioned in this article. 



There are several explanations of the confusion of localities on 

 the peninsula, and most of it comes from the too frequent use of the 

 names of the saints. This would not be so bad, if the surnames 

 distinguishing them had been retained, as first given by mission- 

 aries, but being cumbersome they have been gradually dropped in 

 most cases, though retained where very necessary, as with San Jose 

 del Cabo. In other cases the same names are repeated in the three 

 separate states of the peninsula, as they are in many of the United 

 States, but sometimes three in one state as with the San Juans. 

 Many Indian and other names are also repeated, probably from the 

 ignorance of those naming them. The name of nearly every saint 

 in the calendar is repeated two or three times in those 820 miles. 



Carpenter states that Xantus sent shells to Washington from So- 

 corro Island, and other localities, mixed with those of Cape St. 

 Lucas. 



On account of the marked differences in the groups of species 



