ON MOLLUSCA OF THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. 601 



_ 



Solen sicarius, Gld. One dead shell, near Steilacoom, Puget Sound, Cooper. 

 " Probably abundant on the mud-flats near the mouth of the Nisqually 

 River," j. G. C. 



9f Machcera patula, Portl. and Dix. (Coop, errata ; Nuttalli in text), = Solen 

 maximus, Wood, non C\i?mn.,= Solecurtus Nuttallii, Com., = Macha;ra cos- 

 tata, Midd., non Say. Washington Ter., Cooper. "Burrows a few inches 

 from the surface, at the edge of the usual low tide ; is justly considered 

 (except the oyster) the best of the many fine eatable molluscs of the coast. 

 It is the only truly marine mollusc found near the Columbia River ; extends 

 northwards wherever the beach is sandy, but not known in the Straits of 

 de Fuca," J. G. C. 



9t Mya cancellata, (Platyodon) , Conr. Dead valves, St. Luis Obispo, Dr, 

 Antisell, 



Sph(snia California, (Cryptomyd), Conr. San Francisco, Trask. 

 886. MytiUmeria Nuttalli, Conr. A group, nestling in a white, friable, arenaceous 

 substance, was obtained at San Diego by Lieut. Trowbridge. 



n Pholas [Pholadidea] penita, Conr., = P, concamerata, Desh. From worn rock 

 which drifted into Shoal water Bay, attached to the roots of Macrocystis, 

 the giant seaweed, Cooper ; De Fuca, Suckley; mouth of Umpqua River, 

 Oregon, Dr. Vollum. 



The above list must be considered as a resume, not merely of the shells of the 

 N. P. Railroad Survey, but also of all those examined by Judge Cooper, from 

 the Smithsonian Museum and from his own private collection. It is pecu- 

 liarly valuable as preserving the notes concerning station, &c., of the original 

 explorers, and has therefore required a more lengthened analysis. 



The land-shells collected byDr. Newberry in the Pacific Railroad Survey were 

 described by W. G. Binney, Esq., with his accustomed accuracy. His paper 

 will be found in the Reports, vol. vi. pp. 111-114. The following are the 

 only species enumerated : 



1. Helix Jidelis, Gray, Chem., Pfr., Rve., = ^T. Nuttalliana^ Lea, Binney, sen., De 



Kay. Portland, Oregon, Newberry. Local. 



2. Helix infumata, Gld., Proc. Bost. N. H. S., Feb. 1855, p. 127. Hills near 



San Francisco, Newberry. Extremely rare. 

 .3. Helix ceruginosa, Gld., var. /3. loc. cit. North of San Francisco, Newberry. 



Rare. 

 4. Helix Dupetithouarsi, jun., Desh., Chem., Pfr., Rve.,= jy. Oregonmsis, Lea, 



Pfr. San Francisco, Benicia, Cal. ; Klamath Lake, Oregon; Newberry. " One 



of the commonest and most widely distributed species of the Pacific region." 

 102. The U. S. Government also sent out a " North-west Boundary Com- 

 mission," in charge of Archibald Campbell, Esq. The natural-history 

 arrangements were superintended by the Smithsonian Inst., and Dr. C. B. R. 

 Kennedy was appointed naturalist to the Expedition. At his request, I 

 undertook to prepare a Report of the Mollusca, to be published and illustrated 

 in a form corresponding to the Pacific Railroad Reports; Dr. Alcock kindly 

 undertaking to dissect the animals, and Mr. Busk to examine the Polyzoa. 

 Dr. Kennerly died on his return from a three years' exploration ; and the 

 civil war has thus far delayed any further publication. The materials have, 

 however, been thoroughly investigated. They consist principally of dredg- 

 ings in Puget Sound. On reference to the maps published by the U. S. 

 Coast Survey, it will be seen that this inland sea consists of a remarkable 

 labyrinth of waters, fiord within fiord, and only indirectly connected with 

 the currents of the Pacific Ocean. It might therefore be expected to furnish 

 us with the species of quiet migration, and perhaps with those still living 

 from a period of previous altered conditions. No doubt it will furnish new 

 materials to reward the labours of many successsive naturalists. The pre- 



87 



