12 Panama Shells. 



INTRODUCTION. 



On the Eastern side of the continent, a totally distinct 

 marine zoological province, which may be called the Carib- 

 bean province, occupies about an equal part of the earth's 

 surface. It has however, a much greater extent of coast, in 

 the great number of islands, and in the sinuous outlines of 

 the continent. The number of known species of shells in this 

 province is not far from 1500. The actual number probably 

 is less than in the Panama province. It is a remarkable fact 

 that the number of rather large species in the Caribbean pro- 

 vince is but a small fraction of the number of such species 

 which occur on the other side of the continent. Of the Ca- 

 ribbean species, very few occur north of the Bahamas, or 

 south of Brazil, although, from various sources of error many 

 of them have been reputed to inhabit England, and various 

 other parts of the world. Although there are several analo- 

 gous species in the two provinces, in general there is a great 

 dissimilarity. 



Conchological Collectors in the Panama Province. 



One of the earliest collectors in this zoological province 

 was Joseph Dombey, the well known French Botanical tra- 

 veller. Dombey arrived in Peru, on his botanical expedition, 

 in April, 1778. He is quoted by Lamarck for eight new 

 species of shells from Peru. 



Baron Humboldt, and his companion, M, Bonpland, next 

 made collections of the shells. In 1803 they were on the 

 coast of Peru, whence they sailed to Acapulco. Here they 

 collected many species, of which eleven are described by La- 

 marck in the Animaux Sans Vertebres. The first volume of 

 Humboldt's Recueil D'observations de Zoologie, &c., was 

 published in 1811 ; but the second volume in which the shells 

 are described by M. Yalencienres, bears the date of 1833. 

 Of the 92 species mentioned 88 are described in full, and of 

 the 92 all but 3 or 4 are said to inhabit this province. In 



