﻿INTRODUCTION. 
  Panama 
  Shells. 
  239 
  

  

  few 
  travellers 
  who 
  have 
  collected 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  minute 
  

   shells 
  of 
  the 
  tropics. 
  

  

  In 
  1836-37 
  the 
  Bonite 
  (French) 
  made 
  a 
  voyage 
  of 
  explo- 
  

   ration 
  around 
  the 
  world. 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1836 
  this 
  expe- 
  

   dition 
  touched 
  at 
  several 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Panama 
  zoological 
  province, 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Guayaquil, 
  

   whence 
  the 
  Bonite 
  sailed 
  for 
  the 
  Sandwich 
  Islands. 
  M. 
  M. 
  

   Eydoux 
  and 
  Souleyet 
  were 
  the 
  zoologists 
  of 
  the 
  expedition. 
  

   The 
  former 
  gentleman 
  died 
  of 
  yellow 
  fever 
  at 
  Martinique 
  in 
  

   1841, 
  before 
  the 
  results 
  in 
  this 
  department 
  were 
  published. 
  

   On 
  the 
  MoUusca 
  we 
  have 
  seen 
  only 
  a 
  folio 
  volume 
  of 
  about 
  

   50 
  plates, 
  without 
  date 
  and 
  without 
  text. 
  The 
  only 
  text 
  of 
  

   the 
  zoology 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  mammals 
  and 
  

   birds, 
  with 
  date 
  of 
  1841. 
  

  

  In 
  August, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  1836, 
  H. 
  M. 
  S. 
  

   the 
  Sulphur, 
  under 
  Lieut. 
  Commander 
  Kellett, 
  visited 
  Callao 
  

   and 
  Payta, 
  and 
  carefully 
  explored 
  the 
  coast 
  from 
  Guayaquil 
  

   to 
  Panama. 
  Here 
  Commander 
  (now 
  Captain 
  Sir 
  Edward) 
  

   Belcher 
  arrived 
  and 
  took 
  command, 
  and 
  in 
  collecting 
  shells 
  

   was 
  aided 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hinds, 
  surgeon 
  of 
  the 
  expedition. 
  The 
  

   dredge 
  was 
  frequently 
  used, 
  and 
  the 
  cabin 
  of 
  the 
  commander 
  

   became 
  a 
  museum. 
  Proceeding 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  they 
  visited 
  nu- 
  

   merous 
  places 
  up 
  to 
  San 
  Bias, 
  in 
  June 
  1837. 
  In 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  December, 
  the 
  Sulphur 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  explora- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  made 
  from 
  Acapulco 
  to 
  Cerro 
  Azul. 
  Again 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  1838, 
  and 
  during 
  much 
  of 
  1839, 
  collections 
  were 
  

   made 
  in 
  many 
  localities. 
  About 
  70 
  new 
  species 
  were 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hinds 
  in 
  the 
  Proc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc. 
  of 
  London, 
  com- 
  

   mencing 
  February 
  14, 
  1843 
  ; 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  Zoology 
  of 
  the 
  voy- 
  

   age 
  of 
  H. 
  M. 
  S. 
  Sulphur 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  included 
  in 
  

   monographs 
  which 
  have 
  subsequently 
  been 
  published 
  in 
  London. 
  

  

  In 
  1837 
  the 
  Veims 
  (French) 
  was 
  at 
  Callao 
  from 
  May 
  24 
  

   to 
  June 
  3 
  ; 
  from 
  Nov. 
  25 
  to 
  Dec. 
  6 
  at 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Magdalena, 
  

   in 
  the 
  peninsula 
  of 
  California 
  j 
  from 
  Dec. 
  12 
  to 
  Dec. 
  18, 
  at 
  

  

  