EXPLORATIONS FOR MOLLUSKS IN THE 

 WEST INDIES 



By PAUL BARLSCH, 



Curafor. Division of Molliisks. U. S. Notional Museum 



In continuation of the West Indian explorations for land moUusks 

 begun last year under the auspices of the Walter Rathbone Bacon 

 Scholarship Fund, I eml^arked on June 12, 1929, on the V. S. naval 

 transport Kiffcry at Hampton Roads, Virginia, for West Indian 

 ports. Through the assistance of Commandant C. S. jNIcWorther of 

 the U. S. Naval Station at Guantanamo, Cuba, I was provided with 

 two splendid mounts and an able guide ready for an overland journey 

 upon our arrival June 17. to Boca del Yateras, one of the classic type 

 localities of Gundlach and Wright. Its inaccessil)ility has kept it from 

 visitation by other naturalists since their days of collecting, and I felt 

 that this opportunity which brought me within some 17 miles of the 

 place as the crow flies must not be missed. 



As the crow flies however, is not the method of eastern Culwn 

 travel today, and shortly before midnight, when we again arrived at 

 the naval station, we had covered 67 miles on slender trails over hills 

 and dales midst thorn brush and palms frecjuently completely choked 

 with epiphytes. Our weariness was ofl^set by the knowledge that our 

 kit contained the topotypes of the land shells which we have wanted 

 for a long time. 



On June 19 we reached Port au Prince, Haiti. Llere Dr. S. S. Cook, 

 Service D'Hygiene, carried me over our collecting grounds of long 

 ago and gave me an opportunity to see what changes had taken place 

 in the Cul de Sac region since 1917. Dr. Freeman, Director General 

 of the Service Technique, arranged for an automobile which during 

 the next two days carried me through the valley of the Artebonite 

 northward through the magnificent Cibao range of mountains to 

 Cape Haitien over the newly completed highway that connects these 

 two ports. This trip carried me over territory in Hispaniola not pre- 

 viously visited by me and enabled me to make collections at many new 

 stations from which no material had reached our Museum before. I 

 regained the K iff cry on June 21 and two days later arrived at San 

 Juan, Porto Rico. 



June 21 to July 10 were spent hunting for a suitable sailing vessel 

 which could be hired to reach the islands that form the rim of the 



