﻿INTRODUCTION. 
  ' 
  Panama 
  Shells. 
  25 
  

  

  Panama. 
  Jamaica. 
  

  

  Turbinella 
  csestus 
  ; 
  T. 
  muricata. 
  

  

  Cerithiura 
  assimilatum 
  ; 
  C. 
  terebellum. 
  

   Fissurella 
  microtrema 
  ; 
  F. 
  sp. 
  indet. 
  

  

  Area 
  gradata 
  ; 
  A. 
  Domingensis. 
  

  

  Cytlierea 
  squalida 
  ; 
  C. 
  maculata. 
  

  

  Capsa 
  altior 
  ; 
  C. 
  Brasiliensis. 
  

  

  Tellina 
  sp. 
  indet. 
  ; 
  T. 
  bimaculata. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  shells 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  

   the 
  Panama 
  province, 
  probably 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  1500. 
  The 
  

   actual 
  number 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  much 
  greater. 
  

  

  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  which 
  we 
  

   collected 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Panama, 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   very 
  m^inute 
  species 
  are 
  new 
  to 
  science, 
  although 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   lart^er 
  shells 
  have 
  been 
  described. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  

   species 
  which 
  are 
  as 
  small 
  as 
  those 
  which 
  constitute 
  a 
  large 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  conchological 
  Fauna 
  of 
  regions, 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  thoroughly 
  explored, 
  have 
  been 
  overlooked 
  by 
  previous 
  

   collectors. 
  This 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  surprising, 
  when 
  we 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  the 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  their 
  

   individuals, 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  that 
  is 
  more 
  convenient 
  for 
  

   discovery 
  and 
  collection. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  accounted 
  for 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  minute 
  species 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  

   rare 
  in 
  individuals. 
  Yet 
  the 
  new 
  species, 
  which 
  were 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  in 
  six 
  weeks 
  at 
  two 
  localities, 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  

   portion 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  actually 
  exist 
  in 
  this 
  zoological 
  pro- 
  

   vince. 
  Perhaps, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  undiscovered 
  

   species 
  is 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  known 
  species.* 
  

  

  * 
  After 
  describing 
  nearly 
  sixty 
  new 
  and 
  rather 
  small 
  Pleurotomoid 
  shells 
  "which 
  

   had 
  been 
  collected 
  during 
  the 
  voyage 
  of 
  H. 
  M. 
  S. 
  Sulphur, 
  Mr. 
  Hinds 
  observes, 
  

   " 
  when 
  we 
  reflect 
  what 
  multitudes 
  of 
  similar 
  beings 
  inhabit 
  the 
  recesses 
  of 
  the 
  

   globe, 
  beyond 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  human 
  observation, 
  and 
  which 
  at 
  rare 
  intervals 
  are 
  

   brouidit 
  to 
  li"-]it, 
  * 
  * 
  it 
  requires 
  the 
  boldest 
  stictch 
  of 
  the 
  imagination 
  even 
  to 
  

   brin"- 
  within 
  the 
  comprehension 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  countless 
  multitudes 
  of 
  organised 
  

   bein"s 
  of 
  our 
  earth, 
  and 
  all 
  rich 
  in 
  some 
  manner 
  peculiarly 
  their 
  own, 
  either 
  in 
  

   color, 
  sculpture, 
  decoration, 
  or 
  symmetry." 
  — 
  Hind's 
  Zool. 
  Voy. 
  Sulph. 
  Moll. 
  p. 
  24 
  

  

  