C3G REPORT— 18G3. 



Pa:;e. Plate. Fig. 



lUi. V^I. 3. Arinea Barbarensis, Conr. Los Angeles. \?=i)i'erme<h'm.'] 

 ff \il. 3. {" Mitctra Gabioti-nsis, Cour. Gaviote I'ass. May be a Sc!n 



zode.'tina. Associated with Mytilm sp. and Infundibunni 

 Gabiutensis. 

 „ VII, 5. Gli/cimeris Estrdlaniis, Conr. Panza and Estrella Va'.leya 



Allied to Panopeen rrjiixa, Say. [y =■ P. yeiwrusa, Gld.^ 

 105. Penia montana, Com: S. Buenaventura. Aihtd lol'.iua.iiUuia 



Trochita coatelluia^ Conr. (Javiote I'as-s. 

 TurritclUi Itiezana, Cour. iita. Inez Mts. 

 Turritella cariuta, Conr. Sta. Inez Mts. 

 Natica Inezana, Conr. [?Luiiatia Leicisii.'] Sta. Inez Mts. 



As before, the fossils appear to be in very bad condition. The succeeding 

 palieontologists who have to identity from them are not to be envied. Theii 

 principal value is to show what remains in store for future explorers. Tlit 

 extreme beauty of preservation in the fossils collected by Col. Jewett, rivalling 

 those of ihe Paris Basin, and sometimes surpassing the conspecitic living 

 shells, makes us astonished that so large a statf of eminent men, employed 

 by the Government, made such poor instalments of contribution to malacolo- 

 gical science. The plan, too often followed, of remunerating naturalists, not 

 according to the skilled labour thc^y bestow, but according to the number ot 

 ♦' new species " they describe, is greatly to be deprecated. Further knowledge 

 concerning the old species maj^ be more important in scientific inquiries than 

 the laere naming of new forms. It is generally a much harder tasK to per- 

 form, and, therefore, more deserving of substantial as well as of honourable 

 acknowledgment. 



101. The shells collected on the North Pacific Railroad Survey were in- 

 trusted to W. Cooper, Esq., of Hoboken, New Jersey, for description : Dr. 

 Gould being occupied with preparing the diagnoses of the N. Pacific E. E. 

 species. Judge Cooper Avas at that time the only naturalist in America known 

 to be actively c igaged in studying the marine shells of the West Coast, of 

 which he has a remarkably valuable collection. He had rendered veiy valu- 

 able service to the Smithsonian Institution by naming their specimens. Un- 

 fortunately, there is such great difficulty even in New York city (of wliich 

 Hoboken is a suburb) in obtaining access to typically named shells, as well as 

 to many necessary books *, that, notwithstanding the greatest care, errors of 

 determination are almost sure to arise. 



Tile " Report upon the ilollusca collected on the Survey, by Wm. Cooper," 

 forms No. 6 of the Appendix, pp. 369-38(3, and errata. (Unfortunately the 



* Both Judge Cooper and Dr. Lea informed me (1800) that they had not been able 

 even to see a copy of the plates to the U. S. Expl. lisped. MoUuscu. Through special 

 favour, 1 was enabled to obtain a series of the proofs to work by. The Smithsonian 

 Institution, though intrusted with the keeping of the collections, was not favoured 

 with a copy until after the war began, when the whole series was granted by Congress. 

 Judge Cooper had derived great assistance from the llritish Association Report, and 

 has coiumunicated many corrections in it. lu the alterations of synonymy, and in 

 defining the limits of specific variation, I have had the benefit of his counsel and ex- 

 perience; and have rarely felt compelled to ditfer from him. liaving himself collected 

 extensively in the West Indies, he had excellent opportunities of comparing fresh 

 specimens from the now separated oceans. 1 was fortunate enough to meet his son, 

 Dr. J. G. Cooper, at the Suiithsoniau Institution, and to examine the types of the 

 species he collected (which are here enumerated) with the advantage of his memory 

 and knowledge. His later contributions to the malacology of \V. America will be 

 afterwards enumerated : his valuable Treatise on the Forests and Trees of North 

 America will be found in the Smithsonian Reports, lb.J8, pp. :i40--80. 



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