Molluscan Fauna of the Gulf of Suez. 385 



Three Suez species appear to occur at St. Helena * : — 



Triton tritonis, L. CypraBa tardus, L. 



Cypreea moneta, L. 



Two Suez species, which do not occur in the Mediter- 

 ranean, occur at the Canary Islands : — 



Natica maroccana, Chemn., var. Natica variabilis, Bed. 



Four Suez species reach the West Indies, viz. : — 



Triton pilearis, Lam. Acanthopleurus piceus, Gmel, 



Natica maroccana, Chemn. 



Leuconia denticulata, Mont. 



Two Suez species occur on the west coast of Central 

 America, viz. : — 



Triton pUearis, Lam. Natica maroccana, Chemn., var. 



Further examination, and careful preparation of local collec- 

 tions will no doubt add enormously to the length of the lists 

 here given ; but I do not anticipate that their relative propor- 

 tions will be very largely modified. 



The question whether any species of shells are common to 

 the Red Sea and the Mediterranean has often been debated, 

 and is still sub judice. But it seems a not unreasonable 

 assumption that the MacAndrew collection of Suez shells 

 affords an opportunity for making a considerable step in the 

 direction of a settlement, not only because of the unusually 

 fine series of specimens which it offers in every stage of 

 growth, but because the same gentleman made very large 

 collections in the Mediterranean, equally rich in series illus- 

 trating young and adult forms. It should be mentioned that 

 he was most scrupulously careful in labelling his captures 

 with the exact locality, so that the idea cannot be for a moment 

 entertained that the specimens from the two seas have become 

 mixed up in the cabinets. Thus we have the unusual oppor- 

 tunity of being able readily to compare large series of species, 

 identical or related, drawn from both seas, and to form our 

 conclusions accordingly. 



* Since I wrote the above Mr. E. A. Smith has informed me that he 

 has examined the actual specimens from which this statement (Melliss's 

 * St. Helena ') was made. It appears, and I can conhrm the observation, 

 that the specimens identified as C't/p?-. turdus are all Cyjir. spurca, while 

 the two specimens of Cypr. moneta look most suspiciously like ballast 

 shells. 



