17 



From New Caledonia, and tlie vast ^oup of 

 the New Hebrides, we possess no shells whate- 

 ver; but from the coasts of Papua and New 

 Guinea, some very rare varieties have been re- 

 ceived. 



The shells from the Chinese seas are gene- 

 rally interesting; from the Philippine Islands 

 we have many fine varieties: the Dutch, Por- 

 tuguese, and Danes, have also contributed to 

 our cabinets in this department. At Wampoc, 

 or Canton, shells from Japan, Formosa, and 

 Haynan, may be purchased in shops of little im- 

 portance. If any of the commanders or officers 

 of our China ships would take the trouble to 

 employ some Chinese fishermen to collect land 

 and fresh-water shells, he might, for three or 

 tour dollars, depend upon obtaining whatever 

 the country produced : and were he to extend 

 his order to ten dollars for sea-shells, he would 

 be amply repaid on his return home. The very 

 commonest productions in China have been ne- 



D 



