﻿MARGiNELLA, 
  Panama 
  Shells. 
  265 
  

  

  Station. 
  — 
  From 
  5 
  to 
  13 
  fathoms 
  sandy 
  mud 
  ; 
  Hinds 
  ! 
  copied 
  

  

  by 
  Sowerby. 
  

  

  "We 
  found 
  these 
  molluscs 
  on 
  a 
  flat 
  of 
  liquid 
  mud, 
  a 
  little 
  

  

  above 
  low 
  water 
  mark. 
  On 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  this 
  mud 
  they 
  

  

  were 
  moving 
  about 
  with 
  great 
  vivacity 
  while 
  the 
  tide 
  was 
  out. 
  

  

  Habitat. 
  — 
  Panama 
  ; 
  Hinds 
  ! 
  copied 
  by 
  Sowerby. 
  

   Panama 
  ; 
  E. 
  Jewett 
  ! 
  Gould 
  Mss. 
  

   Panama 
  ; 
  C. 
  B. 
  A. 
  ! 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Hinds 
  calls 
  this 
  species 
  " 
  the 
  American 
  analogue 
  " 
  of 
  

   M. 
  prunum 
  G-m. 
  (syn. 
  M. 
  coerulescens 
  Lam.) 
  but 
  Mr. 
  Sowerby 
  

   assigns 
  BI. 
  prunum 
  to 
  Panama 
  as 
  its 
  habitat 
  ! 
  A 
  little 
  east 
  

   of 
  Panama 
  we 
  obtained 
  40 
  living 
  specimens 
  of 
  M. 
  sapotilla, 
  

   and 
  also 
  collected 
  many 
  dead 
  shells 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  above 
  the 
  

   muddy 
  flats. 
  No 
  specimen 
  of 
  M. 
  prunum 
  was 
  found. 
  The 
  

   latter, 
  however, 
  occurs 
  abundantly 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Ca- 
  

   ribbean 
  sea. 
  We 
  have 
  obtained 
  in 
  Jamaica 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  

   of 
  this 
  species, 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  keys 
  south 
  of 
  

   that 
  Island, 
  and 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Edward 
  Chitty, 
  of 
  J., 
  kindly 
  gave 
  

   us 
  a 
  parcel 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  at 
  Curagoa. 
  Inde- 
  

   pendently 
  of 
  the 
  testimony, 
  the 
  other 
  shells, 
  which 
  were 
  

   mingled 
  with 
  these 
  parcels, 
  were 
  all 
  Caribbean 
  species. 
  

   Without 
  affirming 
  anything 
  respecting 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  M. 
  

   prunum 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Africa,* 
  we 
  may 
  therefore 
  safely 
  

   say 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  species, 
  — 
  as 
  M. 
  sapotilla 
  is 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  species 
  — 
  of 
  tropical 
  America. 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Rcdfield, 
  the 
  best 
  authority 
  in 
  refereiice 
  to 
  this 
  genus, 
  informs 
  me 
  

   that 
  he 
  has 
  examined 
  many 
  parcels 
  of 
  shells 
  collected 
  in 
  tlie 
  Gambia 
  region, 
  at 
  

   Cape 
  Palmas, 
  and 
  tlie 
  I. 
  of 
  St. 
  'I'homas, 
  in 
  tlie 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Guinea, 
  and 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  find 
  any 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  M. 
  prunwn 
  inhabits 
  West 
  Africa. 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  sug- 
  

   gests 
  that 
  by 
  some 
  means 
  Adansou 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  error, 
  and 
  that 
  his 
  error 
  has 
  

   been 
  simply 
  copied 
  by 
  all 
  subsequent 
  authors. 
  

  

  JUNE, 
  1825. 
  '■^i 
  ANN. 
  LYC 
  NAT. 
  HIST. 
  

  

  