A. E. Verrill on the Mollusca of Europe and N. America. 469 
case of the four species named above; for these, though differ- 
ing among themselves, have the same distribution as many of 
those put down as northern, while //. Binneyana and P. ancil- 
laria certainly have a very northern range, for they are abun- 
ant in Maine, New Brunswick, and Canada. 
It is evident that such numerous errors of this kind render 
the paper, so far as geographical distribution is concerned, 
quite worthless; for it is sure to mislead. 
Most of these errors might have been easily avoided had the 
author depended less on Gould’s work and more on the recent 
works of American conchologists; for there is no lack of data 
In regard to the distribution of most of our shells. Even Dr. 
Stimpson’s “Shells of New England” (1851), if consulted, 
might have saved most of the errors in regard to the distribution 
of the marine shells. 
The fact that there is in the southern and shallower parts of 
the Gulf of St. Lawrence an isolated colony of southern shells, 
may have misled Mr. Jeffreys in many cases, especially as he 
evidently consulted the Canadian collections much more than 
those of the United States, many of the largest of which he did 
not see at all. In respect of erroneous identifications and the 
reduction of certain species to varieties, there is also much to be 
said; but this article is already so long that it will be neces- 
sary to refer only to some of the more obvious and important 
errors of this kind, leaving the rest to be discussed more fully 
elsewhere. 
Every naturalist should be willing to allow his fellow natu- 
ralists full liberty of opinion with respect to the specific identity 
or difference of closely allied forms; and no one can claim to 
be infallible in such matters. Some of the errors to be men- 
tioned do not, however, come under this head; for the species 
united have only remote affinities. Nevertheless the naturalist 
who has collected and carefully studied animals in their native 
haunts, under various RE RE: in pie localities, — in 
great numbers, has, other thi eing equal, a very grea 
vantage in ices matters : itn I believe that Mr. Jeff- 
reys would in most cases agree with me had he collected and 
studied as many American shells as I have, during the past fif- 
teen years, or if he were as familiar with them as he is with the 
British species. In most of the cases to which I refer, my own 
conclusions are in harmony with those of Dr. Stimpson, who 
devoted so many years to collecting and carefully studying our 
_ Shells, and who is well known for his accuracy in such matters. 
And it would be strange indeed if all American naturalists, as 
well as many eminent foreign ones, have always been making 
such ridiculous blunders in regard to some of our most familiag 
shells as Mr. Jeffreys would have us believe. ; 
