THE AXLAIAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 433 



the approximate five hundred species aud varieties of Hawaiian land and 

 fresh-water shells then known, were placed in the one family ^ which, accord- 

 ing' to his view, was made up of niae genera. Of that number the four genera, 

 Achatinclla. Amastra, Lcpiacliatina and AuriculcUa. contain the great bulk of 

 the species. These names occur so often in the literature on the shells of the 

 group, and are represented by such extensive and handsome series in the 

 various noteworthy collections in the islands, that the remaining genera of 

 the family and the long list of genera belonging to other Hawaiian families 

 too often appear to be lost sight of. 



Vari.\tions. 



The super-genus AvJidtiin lid. for example, is represented by upwards of 

 onr hundred species,- the majority of which grade through such a perplexing 

 variety of shades aud forms that it is usually impossible to fix the exact limits 

 of the sjjecies. Indeed, Rev. I]. W. Thwing collected from various sources 

 aud published no fewer than three hundred and fifty-eight descriptions that 

 have been ajiplied 1)\' different authors to the various forms in the above 

 genus alone. 



With .so long a list of names founded on such variable characteristics as 

 size, shape, locality, color patferu, banding aiul other variable markings to 

 be considered for the most pait as synonyms, the amateur collector although 

 lie may be provided with the literature on the subject — a literature which 

 includes more than two hundred titles — finds himself involved in an almost 

 endless confusion of names. What is worse there is such a diversity of opinion 

 among the authorities on the minute points involved in the classification of 

 the shells in this important genus, that for the present, at least, the student in 

 desperation is reduced, as a rule, to simply keeping his shells, gathered from 

 various loealites carefully separated — usually labeling them by valleys, ridges, 

 side ridges, spurs and in some cases indicating the particular bush or tree 

 from which they were taken, in tlie hope tliat some day the sul)jeet of nomen- 

 clature will be definitely settled. 



Nevertheless, this tendency to wide divergence in form and color in the 

 various groups and species furnishes to the true shell collector his chief source 

 of interest aud relaxation at home and a worthy excuse for any number of all- 

 day rambles in the mountains. This point can better be appreciated by taking 

 one or two fairly typical examples. 



( 'OLOR ^'arieties. 



Extending over both sides of the mountains back of Honolulu, from Niu 

 A'alley to and including Makiki Valley, are distributed the species and varie- 

 ties of what for convenience is known to some authors as the Fulgens group. 

 To this group seven described species have been referred. But each of the 

 so-called species ranges through a series of varieties sufficient in the opinion of 



