ON MOLLUSCA OP THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. 617 



Eep.p.350); and also, not being a place of trade, or even an inhabited district, 

 likely to be free from human importations, although we should be prepared 

 to find dead exotics thrown on its shores both by northern and by tropical 

 currents. In his solitary and what would otherwise have been monotonous 

 life, Mr. Xantus found fuU. employment in assidiiously collecting specimens 

 in all available departments of natural history ; having received ample in- 

 structions, and the needful apparatus, from the Smithsonian Institution. 

 The bulk of the shells at first received from him were worn beach npeci- 

 mens ; but afterwards several species were preserved, with the animals, in 

 alcohol. Mr. Xantus generously presented the first series of the molluscs to the 

 Smithsonian Museum, reserving the second for his native land. The first 

 ivailable duplicates of the shells not occurring in the Eeigen collection will 

 be found in the British Museum or in the Cumingian cabinets*. Although the 

 whole series would have found little favour in the eyes of a London dealer or 

 a drawing-room collector, it proved a very interesting commentary on the 

 Eeigen and Adams Catalogues : it added about sixty new forms to the accu- 

 rately located species of the marine fauna, besides confirming many others, 

 which rested previously on doubtful evidence ; and disproved the intermixture 

 of northern species, which, from the map alone, had before been considered 

 probable. 



The collection is not only essentially tropical, but contains a larger propor- 

 tion of Central American and Panama species than are found in the Eeigea 

 Catalogue. This may partly be due to the accidents of station, and partly to 

 this projecting southern peninsula striking the equatorial currents. It must 

 also be remembered that the Eeigen Catalogue embraces only the Liverpool 

 division of his collection ; and that many more species may have existed in 

 that portion of the Havre series which did not find its way to the London 

 markets. Mr. Xantus also obtained individuals of identical species from 

 Margarita Island, and a series containing living specimens of Purpura piano - 

 spira (only thrown up dead on the promontory), from Socorro Island, one of 

 the EeviUa-gigedo group. A very few specimens of Haliotis and of Pacific 

 shells may have been given to him by sailors or residents : they were not 

 distinguished from his own series in opening the packages. The coUeotion is 

 not yet complete. In consequence of the French occupation of Mexico, it 

 was with difficulty that Mr. Xantus himself " ran the blockade" at Manza- 

 nello ; and he was compelled to leave there thirty-one boxes of shells, alco- 

 holics, &c., subject to the risks of war. 



The Polyzoa were placed in the hands of Mr. G. Busk for examination, 

 and the alcoholics were intrusted to Dr. Alcook, the Curator of the Manches- 

 ter Natmal History Society. Neither of these gentlemen have as yet been 



* During the period that Mr. Xantus was out of employniBnt, owing to the derange, 

 ments of the war, a portion of the duphcates were offered for sale, and will be found in 

 some of thejiriucipal collections. 



103 



