﻿COLUMBELLA. 
  

  

  Panama 
  Shells. 
  305 
  

  

  Purpura 
  undata 
  Reeve 
  Conch. 
  Icon. 
  pi. 
  9. 
  f. 
  43. 
  Sept. 
  1847. 
  

  

  hcemastoma 
  Menke 
  (non 
  Lam.) 
  Zeitsclir. 
  Malak. 
  

  

  p. 
  182. 
  Nov. 
  1847. 
  

  

  undata 
  Mrs. 
  Gray, 
  Moll. 
  pi. 
  87. 
  a. 
  f. 
  1. 
  1850. 
  

  

  Station.— 
  Under 
  stones 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  ; 
  Cuming 
  ! 
  Reeve. 
  

   AVe 
  found 
  this 
  species 
  under 
  stones 
  near 
  the 
  low 
  water 
  

   mark 
  of 
  the 
  neap 
  tides. 
  

  

  iTaSito^.— 
  Unknown 
  ; 
  Lamarck. 
  

  

  Acapulco 
  ; 
  Humboldt 
  and 
  Bonpland 
  ! 
  Valen- 
  

   ciennes. 
  

   South 
  Sea 
  and 
  Shores 
  of 
  St. 
  Helena 
  ; 
  Kiener. 
  

   Monte 
  Christi 
  ; 
  Cuming 
  ! 
  Reeve. 
  

   Monte 
  Christi 
  ; 
  Jay. 
  

   Panama 
  ; 
  C. 
  B. 
  A. 
  ! 
  

  

  We 
  collected 
  180 
  specimens 
  on 
  the 
  reef 
  at 
  Panama.— 
  This 
  

   species 
  and 
  P. 
  hcemastoma 
  are 
  sometimes 
  confounded. 
  The 
  

   latter 
  inhabits 
  only 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  shores 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  in 
  warm 
  latitudes. 
  It 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  extremely 
  

   probable 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Menke's 
  P. 
  hcemastoma 
  from 
  Mazatlan 
  is 
  the 
  

   true 
  P. 
  undata. 
  As 
  Kiener 
  confounds 
  three 
  distinct 
  species, 
  

   there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  advantage 
  in 
  learning 
  whether 
  his 
  " 
  Sainte 
  

   Helene 
  " 
  is 
  St. 
  Helena 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  or 
  St. 
  Elena 
  in 
  West 
  

   Columbia. 
  

  

  COIilJ]?IBEIiL<A. 
  Numerous 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  genus, 
  and 
  

   an 
  incredible 
  multitude 
  of 
  individuals 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  Panama. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  in 
  the 
  genus. 
  

   Perhaps 
  no 
  other 
  fauna 
  equals 
  the 
  marine 
  Pacific 
  fauna 
  of 
  tro- 
  

   pical 
  America 
  for 
  its 
  development 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  in 
  these 
  three 
  

   characters— 
  number 
  of 
  typical 
  forms, 
  number 
  of 
  individuals, 
  

   and 
  their 
  size 
  and 
  elegance. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  collected 
  at 
  Panama 
  much 
  exceeds 
  the 
  number 
  in 
  

   the 
  entire 
  genus 
  which 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  Lamarck. 
  While 
  very 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  which 
  we 
  collected 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  in 
  

  

  