ox MOLLU>CA OF THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. 631 



110. At the time of the preparation of the first Report, not a single 

 naturalist was known in Europe to be resident on the western slope of North 

 America, to whom communications could be addressed on the subject of it. 

 There was, however, even at that time, a " Californian Academy of Natural 

 Sciences," which met at 8. Francisco, and published its ' Proceidings.' This 

 Academy is now in a flourishing condition, under the presidency of Col. L. 

 Ransom. The general zoological department is under the care of Dr. J. G. 

 Cooper; the shells under that of Dr. J. B. Trask, Vice-President of the Academy, 

 whose name has already appeared in Judge Cooper's Report, anted, p. 597 ; 

 and the fossils under that of Mr. "VV. M. Gabb. The corresponding secretary 

 is Dr. W. 0. Ayres ; and the librarian Prof. J. D. Whitney, the director of 

 the State Geological Survey. Already the nucleus has been formed of a very 

 valuable collection, many of the critical species in which have been sent to 

 England for identification. The coasting-trade between S. Francisco and 

 many stations in L. California, the Gulf, and the Mexican coast, offers pecu- 

 liar facilities for obtaining valuable information. Two of the contributors to 

 the Californian Academy require special and grateful mention. Dr. AVeslej' 

 Newcomb (whose labours had greatly enriched the State Collection at his 

 native city, Albany, New York, and whose researches among the Achafinellce 

 in the Sandwich Islands are well known) is stationed at Oakland, near Fran- 

 cisco, and has already furnished vahiable papers, an abstract of which is heae 

 given, as well as emendations and additions to the British Association Report, 

 which are included in their appropriate places*. The Rev. J. Rowell has long 

 been a regular correspondent of the Smithsonian Institution, and has sub- 

 mitted the whole of his West-coast collections for analysis. He has dis- 

 played peculiar industry in searching for small species on the backs of the 

 larger shells, especially the Hahotids of tbe Californian coast, and the Ostrea 

 iridescens, which is imported in large quantities from Acapulco for the San 

 Francisco market f. 



In the ' Proc. California Ac. Nat. Sc.,' vol. i. pp. 28-30, Feb. 1855, Dr. 

 J. B. Trask published descriptions of Anodonta RandaUl, Trask, Upper San 

 Joaquin ; Anodonta trlanrfidaris, Trask, Sacramento River; Anodonta rotund- 

 ovata, Trask, Sacramento Valley ; AJasmodonta Yubaemis, Trask, Yuba River. 



In the ' Ann. Lye. N. H. New York,' vol. vii. 18G0, p. 146, Dr. Newcomb 

 describes the first Pupa found on the Pacific slope, viz. Pupa llowelUi, Newc. 

 Near Oakland, Cal. " Approaches nearest to P. ovata. Say." 



* The " Chifon amicidafns," ^Pfewc, MS., = Cri/pfockif on SffUeri. " Eare near S. Fran- 

 cisco ; somewhat more abundant in the Bay of Monterey." liia" Fanojjcea ffe7ie>vsa," in 

 the Albany Museum, was found to be Schizofhterus Nuttallii. 



t As an instance of the way in which mistakes arise, may be placed on record a series 

 of shells sent to Mr. Eousseau, of Troy, New York, by Mr. Hilman, formerly of that 

 city, now a resident at San Francisco. They were sent as Californian ; yet, of the thirty- 

 four species which it contained, only one could be called a native of that pi-ovince. All 

 the rest were tropical, and of that peculiar character which belongs to Acapulco. No 

 doubt, the gentleman had obtained them from a trader to that city. If only a lew species 

 had been sent, mixed with Californian shells, they might have puzzled the learned ; for they 

 were obtained, on the spot, by a gentleman of known integrity. As it was, the magnitude of 

 the error led to its di.scovery : but in how many similar cases such error is thought impos- 

 sible ! — Strigilla carnaria ; Donax carinafus, puncto-siriahts ; Heterod. bimaculatus; Cal- 

 lisfa avrantia, chiorKea; Petr. rohvsta; Card, censors, hicmgulatmn; Liocard. apicinum; 

 Trigonaradiafa, Hhuhii; Anom. si(himbricata ; Lima tetrica, Siphonaria gigas, lecanium; 

 Patella discors, pedicntus ; Fiss. rtigosa ; Cruc. imbricatum, spinosum, Kmbrella ; C'rep, 

 acuJeata ; Hipp. antiqi(ah(s, barbatus ; Cerith. v.ncinafmn ; Modulus disculns ; Natica 

 maroccana, cafenata; Pohnices uher; Leuc. cingulata; Mneta harpa; Purp. triangularis. 

 The single shell from the temperate fauna is Glyphis aspera. 



117 



