﻿ovuLA, 
  Panama 
  Shells. 
  253 
  

  

  Family— 
  CYPRiEID^. 
  

  

  OVUIi 
  A. 
  — 
  M. 
  Kiener's 
  monograph 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  contains 
  

   only 
  23 
  species, 
  but 
  Mr. 
  Sowerby, 
  in 
  Thes. 
  Conch., 
  describes 
  

   48 
  species, 
  besides 
  4 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  tropical 
  America, 
  

   which 
  were 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  P 
  roc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc. 
  Lond., 
  1832, 
  and 
  

   figured 
  in 
  the 
  Conch. 
  Illust., 
  but 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   overlooked 
  when 
  his 
  monograph 
  was 
  publi.shed 
  in 
  1849. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Sowerby's 
  habitats 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  so^compre- 
  

   hensive, 
  that 
  we 
  cannot 
  suppress 
  the 
  suspicion 
  of 
  some 
  error, 
  

   either 
  in 
  the 
  testimony 
  on 
  this 
  point, 
  or 
  in 
  confounding 
  allied 
  

   species. 
  Especially 
  are 
  we 
  perplexed 
  by 
  the 
  habitat 
  assigned 
  

   to 
  the 
  well-known 
  and 
  very 
  distinct 
  Caribbean 
  species, 
  O. 
  

   gibbosa, 
  " 
  collected 
  at 
  Panama 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Cuming." 
  Dr. 
  Jay, 
  

   however, 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  edition 
  of 
  his 
  catalogue, 
  mentions 
  

   (copies 
  ?) 
  the 
  same 
  habitat. 
  The 
  general 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  

   identity 
  of 
  any 
  specific 
  types 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  is 
  

   of 
  so 
  much 
  importance 
  as 
  to 
  require 
  a 
  carefal 
  scrutiny 
  into 
  

   all 
  statements 
  of 
  such 
  identity, 
  

  

  L 
  Ovula 
  aTena. 
  

  

  Synonymy. 
  

  

  Oviilum 
  avena 
  Sowb. 
  Proc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc. 
  Lond. 
  p. 
  173. 
  - 
  Oct. 
  1832. 
  

  

  Miall. 
  Synop. 
  Nov. 
  Test. 
  Viv. 
  p. 
  128. 
  May 
  183G. 
  

  

  Sowb. 
  Catal. 
  Cyp. 
  p. 
  17. 
  No. 
  29. 
  - 
  - 
  1841. 
  

  

  Sowb. 
  Conch. 
  111. 
  pi. 
  8. 
  f. 
  59. 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  1841. 
  

  

  Oar 
  shells 
  are 
  somewhat 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  figure 
  here 
  

   quoted. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  omitted 
  in 
  the 
  Thesaurus. 
  

  

  Station. 
  — 
  We 
  found 
  this 
  MoUusk 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  species 
  of 
  

   Oorgona 
  at 
  the 
  low 
  water 
  mark 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  tides. 
  

  

  Habitat. 
  " 
  In 
  America 
  Centrali, 
  (Conchagua.)" 
  — 
  Cum- 
  

   ing 
  ! 
  Sowerby 
  in 
  Proc, 
  Z. 
  S. 
  ^ 
  

  

  