INTRODUCTION. 



By the favor of Rev. Selah Merrill, D.D., during the years 1875-77 Archfeologist 

 of the American Palestine Exploration Society, and now United States Consul at Jerusa- 

 lem, the Museum of Comparative Zoology has recently become possessed of two small 

 collections of Syrian moUuscan fossils, chiefly from the range of Mount Lebanon. The 

 one was made by Dr. Merrill himself, while prosecuting his work of exploration ; the 

 other, by Mrs. Bird, wife of Eev. William Bird, a missionary of the American Board of 

 Commissioners for Foreign Missions, who with his family has been for many years sta- 

 tioned at Abeili, fifteen miles southeast of Beirut and among the mountains. As a large 

 proportion of these fossils belong to species hitherto undescribed, and as others, of species 

 already named, are better specimens of the same than those which were the basis of the 

 original figures and descriptions, it has seemed desirable that the collections should be 

 studied, and the results of the examination published. 



Among the stores of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, a thkd small collection of 

 fossil shells has been found, which is understood to be from " Lebanon," and to have been 

 forwarded, perhaps presented, in 1866, by Eev. W. M. Thomson, D. D., author of the well- 

 known work, "The Land and the Book," — for more than thirty years missionary in 

 Syria, and at the date specified acting United States Consul at Beirut. The material for 

 investigation thus furnished has been increased, through the kindness of the officers of 

 the Congregational House in Boston, by the loan of some interesting specimens, labelled 

 " Mount Lebanon," which are preserved in the Museum of the American Board. 



Unfortunately, however, as is usual with collections made by other than experienced 

 or professional hands, notes are wantmg of the exact localities with a few exceptions, 

 and of the nature and position of the strata without exception, from whicli the fossils of 

 the several lots were taken. This deficiency renders it necessary to state here how far 

 the locaUties represented by the different collections can be identified. 



Dr. Merrill's collection was put into my hands by himself, bearing labels to distinguish 

 specimens found at points outside of the district where the greater part were procured, 

 and for the rest a written statement was made, at my request, that "almost all the 



