53G REPORT— 1863. 



Pa'je. Plate. Fig. 



iDi. VI. 3. Axinea Barharensis, Conv. Los Angeles. [? = infermeclms.'] 

 ff VII. 3, ? Mactra Gabiotensis, Conr. Gaviote Pass. May be a »S'c/t» 



zodesma. Associated with Mytilus sp. and Infundibiuun 

 Gabiotensis. 

 ,, VII. 5. Ghjcimeris Estrellanus, Conr. Panza and Estrella Valleya 



Allied to Panopcea rcjiexa, Say. [":* = -?. yenerosa, Gld.j 

 195. Penia montana, Conv. S. Buenaventura. Allied to P. //i«.tiV/«^a 



Trochita costellata, Com-. Gaviote Pass. 

 Turritella Inezana, Conr. Sta. Inez Mts. 

 Turritella variata, Conr. Sta. Ifiez Mts. 

 Natica Inezana, Conr. \?Lunatia Leicisii.'] Sta. Inez Mts. 

 AS before, the fossils appear to be in very bad conditiou. The succeeding 

 paheoutologists who have to identify from them are not to be envied. Theii 

 principal value is to show what remains in store for future explorers. Tht 

 extreme beauty of preservation in the fossils collected by Col. Jewett, rivalling 

 those of the Paris Basin, and sometimes surpassing the conspecitic Hvin^ 

 shells, makes us astonished that so large a staff of eminent men, employed 

 by the Government, made such poor instalments of contribution to malacolo- 

 gical science. The plan, too often followed, of remunerating naturalists, not 

 according to the skilled labour the-y bestow, but according to the number ot 

 " new species " they describe, is greatly to be deprecated. Further knowledge 

 concerning the old species may be more important in scientihc inquiries than 

 the mere naming of new forms. It is generally a much harder task to per- 

 form, and, therefore, more deserving of substantial as well as of honoiu-able 

 acknowledgment. 



101. The shells collected on the North Pacific Railroad Survey were in- 

 trusted to W. Cooper, Esq., of Hoboken, New Jersey, for description : Dr. 

 Gould being occupied with preparing the diagnoses of the N. Pacific E. E. 

 species. Judge Cooper was at that time the only naturalist in America known 

 to be actively engaged in studying the marine shells of the West Coast, of 

 which he has a remarkably valuable collection. He had rendered very valu- 

 able service to the Smithsonian Institution by naming their specimens. Un- 

 fortunately, there is such gi-eat difficulty even in New York city (of which 

 Hoboken is a suburb) in obtaining access to typically named shells, as well as 

 to many necessary books *, that, notwithstanding the greatest care, errors of 

 determination are almost sure to arise. 



The " Report upon the Mollusca collected on the Survey, by Wm. Cooper," 

 forms No. 6 of the Appendix, pp. 369-386, and errata. (Unfortunately the 



* Both Judge Cooper and Dr. Lea informed me (1860) that they had not been able 

 even to see a copy of the plates to the U. S. Expl. Exped. MoUusca. Through special 

 favour, I was enabled to obtain a series of the proofs to work by. The Smithsonian 

 Institution, though intrusted with the keeping of the collectious, was not favoured 

 with a copy until after the war began, when the whole series was granted by Congress. 

 Judge Cooper had derived great assistance from the British Association Keport, and 

 has communicated many corrections in it. In the alterations of synonymy, and in 

 defining the limits of specific variation, I have had the benefit of his counsel and ex- 

 perience; and have rarely felt compelled to ditfer from him. Kaving himself collected 

 extensively in the West Indies, he had excellent opportunities of comparing fresh 

 specimens from the now separated oceans. 1 was fortunate enough to meet his son, 

 L)r. J. G. Cooper, at the Smithsonian Institution, and to examine the types of the 

 species he collected (which are here enumerated) with the advantage of his memory 

 and knowledge. His later contributions to the malacology of "\V. America will be 

 afterwards enumerated: his valuable Treatise on the Forests and Trees of North 

 America will be found in the Smithsonian Reports, 1858, pp. 246-280. 



82 



