;80 REPOET — 1863. 



Rotions' of English learned societies; and (3.) The ' Miscellaneotis Collec- 

 tions,' in 8vo, answering to the ' Proceedings ' of the societies : — 



(1.) The series of ten 4to volumes, called ' Pacific EaUroad Keports,' con- 

 tains a complete resvifne of the natural history of the western slope of North 

 America. The Keoent and Tertiary Fossil Mollusoa wiU be analyzed in the 

 following pages. Accounts have also been published of the natural history 

 of other expeditions.— The annual volumes of ' Keports of the Eegents of the 

 Smithsonian Institution,' published by the U. S. Government, contain exact 

 accounts of the assistance rendered to the expeditions by the Smiths. Inst., 

 as well as lectures and articles on special subjects. In these will be found 

 full particulars of the principles which regulate the natural-history workings 

 of the Institution*. 



(2.) The only paper bearing on our present inquiry as yet published in 

 the ' Contributions ' is on the " Invertebrata of the Grand Manan," by Dr. "W. 

 Stirajjson, which should be consulted by all who desire to institute a compa- 

 rison between the sub-boreal faunas on the two sides of the Atlantic. 



(3.) The 'Miscellaneous Collections' are aU stereotyped, and very freely 

 circulated. Among them will be found " Directions " for collecting specimens 

 of natural history, vrith special instructions concerning the desiderata on the 

 Pacific coasts. These have been widely distributed among the various go- 

 vernment ofllcials, the employes of the U. S. Coast Survey, and the variously 

 ramified circulating media at the command of the Smiths. Inst. ; and have 

 already borne a fair share of important results, although the war has 

 greatly impeded the expected prosecution of natural -history labours. " Check 

 Lists " have been published " of the Shells of North America, by I. Lea, 

 P. P. Carpenter, W. Stimpson, W. G. Binney, and T. Prime," June 1860. No. 

 1 contains the Marine Shells of the " Oregonian and Califomian Province," 

 and No. 2 of the " Mexican and Panamic Province." They are chiefly com- 

 piled from the first British Association Eeport, with such elimination of sy- 

 nonyms and doubtful species, and addition of fresh materials, as had become 

 available up to the date of publication. They were not intended to be quoted 

 as authorities ; and so rapid has been the accumulation of fresh information 

 that no. 1 is already out of date. In the " Terrestrial Gasteropoda," by W. 

 G. Binney, list no. 1 contains the " species of the Pacific coast, from the ex- 

 treme north to Mazatlan," to which many additions have since been made. 

 In the list of " Pluviatile Gasteropoda," also by "W. G. Binney, " the letter W 

 distinguishes those confined to the Pacific coast, WE is affixed to those 

 found in both sections of the continent, and M designates the Mexican 

 species. JFrom the starting-point of this list considerable progress has 

 already been made. In the brief list of " Cyclades, by Temple Prime," the 

 Mexican and Central American species are similarly designated ; but the 

 western species and those common to the Pacific and Atlantic United States 

 are not distinguished. In the list of " Unionidae," by Dr. I. Lea, whose life- 

 long devotion to the elucidation of that family is everywhere gratefully 

 acknowledged, the Pacific species are designated by a P. The large series 



* The ' Lectures on Mollusoa,' in the Vol. for 1860, pp. 151-283, will perhaps be found 

 ^useful as a digest of classical forms. It was to have been illustrated with copies of woodcuts, 

 kindly promised by Dr. Gray, and since placed at the disposal of the Smiths. Inst, by the 

 courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum ; but, unfortunately, the blocks were not 

 -to be found at the time. They will appear, however, in forthcoming Smitlisonian publi- 

 cations. The ' Lecture on the Sliells of the Gulf of California,' in the Vol. for 1859, 

 pp. 195-219, contains in a popular form much of the information distributed tlirough the 

 Brit. Mus. Maz. Cat. 



66 



