PLACOSTYLUS, NEW CALEDONIA. 29 



There lias been a large amount of work done on the New Cale- 

 donian forms, chiefly by French authors. The critical examination 

 of tl.-at fauna began in 1845, when the missionary, R. P. MONTROU- 

 ZIER, who had been driven from Woodlark Island, one of the Louisi- 

 ades, Ijy the natives, took up his residence in New Caledonia. Then 

 followed a notable series of discoveries extending over twenty-two 

 years ; the researches of this devoted and enlightened apostle bring- 

 ing to scientific knowledge one of the most remarkable island faunas 

 of the world. Part of his discoveries were published by Montrouzier 

 himself, part by Souverbie, Gassies, Fischer and Crosse. 



Another missionary, Lambert, shared in the work during the later 

 part of Montrouzier's life, and it was he who discovered the re- 

 markable quaternary deposits of land shells on the islet Koutoumo. 

 Among the more recent collecting naturalists, G. Dupuy, Saves, 

 Bavay and E. Marie have done excellent work, and their names 

 have been attached to species of Placostylus discovered by them. 

 Layard, British Consul for many years at Noumea, also added to 

 our knowledge of the fauna by extensive collections. 



The most extensive special work on the New .Caledonian fauna is 

 J. B. Gassies' Faune Conch yliologique terrestre et fluvio-lacustre de la 

 NouveUe-Culedonie,\n three volumes, issued in 1863, 1871 and 1880; 

 originally published in the Acfes de la Sociefe Linneenne de Bordeaux, 

 on the same dates. Nearly all the other work on the fauna appeared 

 in the Journal de Conchytiologie ; and it was therefore peculiarly 

 fitting that the latest and most complete treatment of the fauna, 

 Crosse's Fauna malacologique terrestre et Jluviatile de la, Nourelle- 

 Cdledonie et ses dependances, should appear in the same periodical for 

 1894. The following account is based chiefly upon that of this most 

 competent malacologist, amplified, of course, by reference to all other 

 literature, and controlled by the series of shells in the collection of 

 the Academy. 



SYNOPSIS OF GROUPS. 



1. Arboreal species; shell thin, slender and white; lip expanded, 

 thin, without apertural teeth or callosities (Leucocharis). 



a. Ovate-fusiform, closely wrinkled spirally. pancheri. 



a 1 . Fusiform, more slender ; spiral sculpture inconspicuous, 



loyaltyensis. 



2. Terrestrial species ; shell solid, covered with a dark cuticle or 

 denuded (typical Placostylus). 



