382 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL. MUSEUM. vol. xxxvi. 



anatomy of the various neotropical and Malayan species this may be 

 done. On the whole, in spite of the currents, it seems likely that the 

 Pacific species are of Asiatic origin ; and perhaps it may be assumed 

 that in past times the currents of the Pacific Ocean were very different 

 from what they are to-day. This is especially suggested by the fact 

 that whereas the North Equatorial current, passing the Hawaiian 

 Islands, comes from the American coast, the Hawaiian fauna show^s 

 every indication of having arrived from the opposite direction.*^ 



Pilsbry^ draws attention to the antiquity and comparative homo- 

 geneity of the mid-Pacific snail-fauna, and considers that the former 

 (late palaeozoic or early mesozoic) existence of a mid-Pacific conti-- 

 nent is strongly indicated. This may be true, but it hardly seems 

 possible to account for the VeroniceUce as remnants of the ancient 

 fauna ; and we are thus left to assume the agency of ocean currents, 

 unless it can be believed that man carried these slugs about during 

 his early migrations. 



VERONICELLA AGASSIZI Cockerell. 



This species was described^^'from a specimen obtained by Dr. Alex- 

 ander Agassiz in Tipaerui Valley, Tahiti. It Avas not possible to 

 determine the anatomical characters, and nothing was known of the 

 variation. Mr. R. ^V. Doane, of Stanford University, when recently 

 in Tahiti, kindly collected a considerable series of specimens, whicli 

 have made it possible to put the species on a much solmcler basis. 

 The original description of the external features remains valid ; the 

 specimens received are very uniform in appearance, the younger ones 

 being paler than the adults. The dorsal surface is granular with 

 small warts ; its color colFee-brown, marbled with black, with no dis- 

 tinct dorsal band. Some of the younger specimens show slight indi- 

 cations of a dorsal band, consisting merely of a stripe on which the 

 mottling is absent, and along the margins of which it tends to accu- 

 mulate.** The general form of the animal is shown in figs. 2 and 5. 

 V. gilsoni CoUinge,*" from the Fiji Islands, appears to be the nearest 

 ally. So far as the external measurements go, there is no substantial 

 difference. The color of V. gilsoni appears to be distinctive, and at 

 present can not be matched in any of the Tahitian material. The 



*An ancient element of the Hawaiian flora, including several eudenilc genera 

 of Compositse, appears to be of American origin ; while an apparently more 

 recent group is Polynesian (Wallace, Island Life, 2d ed., pp. 325-6). The Ta- 

 hitian Compositfe show Malayan affinities. 



6Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1900, pp. 5G8-581. 



cproc. U. S. Nat, Mas., XXIII, p. SSf). 



'^The same sort of thing, more exaggerated, is seen in the South American 

 VeroniceUa fusca Heyneniann. 



^Journ, of Malacology, VII, p. 179, 



