ON MOLLUSCA OF THE WEST COAST OP NORTH AMERICA. 225 



Page. No. 



51 18. Siphonaria Lecanium, Phil. 



51 19. Trochus disculus, Phil. (Modulus). 



52 20. Buccinum nucleolus, Phil. ? An Anachis. Described as a miniature edition 



of B.prismaticum. Comp. B. Antoni, Dkr., Zeit. f. Mai. 1847, p. 6L 

 no. 6, " Mexico, Hegewisch," described as resembling the same shell. 



53 23. Terebrafulgurata, Phil. 



53 24. Columbella pallida, Phil. Resembles Anachis azora, Duel. 



54 25. C. spadicea, Phil. ?Resembles A. costulata, Brod. & Sow. 



54 26. C. tamiata, Phil. 



55 27. Dentalium hyalinum, Phil. 



47. The Mexican War, carried on by the United States, 1846-1848, 

 against their sister republic*, ending in the extension of slavery, was 

 indirectly the means of adding to our knowledge of the Californian and 

 Mexican faunas. Three of the officers, viz. Col. E. Jewett (of Utica, N.Y.) 

 and Major William Rich (of Washington) of the army, and Lieut. T. P. Green 

 of the navy, made collections at different stations from Panama to San 

 Francisco, the whole of which have passed through the hands of Dr. Gould 

 for examination. The number of species collected by Col. Jewett was about 

 221 ; by Major Rich, ISO; by Lieut. Green, about 172; in all, perhaps 440 

 species. Many of them were collected alive, and of a large part the localities 

 were noted at the time. It is too much to expect that gentlemen engaged 

 in so fearful and exciting a trade should be able to exercise the calm, patient 

 accuracy needed for scientific pursuit?. On doubtful points, therefore, the 

 evidence may need confirmation : still it speaks much for the care and 

 interest for science which these gentlemen manifested, that the supposed 

 errors are few and comparatively unimportant. Several species thought to 

 be new were described by Dr. Gould in the * Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.' 

 Nov. 1851 ; and have been since reprinted, with additional descriptions and 

 three plates, under the title " Descriptions of Shells from the Gulf of Cali- 

 fornia and the Pacific Coasts of Mexico and California, by Augustus A. 

 Gould, M.D." There is no date, but the work was received last year in this 

 country. In order to promote harmony of nomenclature between the 

 writers in England and America, Dr. Gould ventured to entrust the whole of 

 his valuable collections from the west coast of N. America to the writer, 

 although unknown to him ; by whom they were carefully collated with the 

 specimens in the British Museum and the cabinets of Mr. Cuming and 

 Mr. Nuttallf . The result, so far as the new species are concerned, is em- 

 bodied in a paper laid before the Zoological Society last June ; and, so far 

 as relates to the identification of previous species, in the following lists. Of 

 many, however, the specimens had only been lent to Dr. Gould for examina- 

 tion, and have therefore not been seen in this country. When the identifica- 

 tions of species are erroneous, according to English interpretations, the name 

 assigned by Dr. Gould is retained as his own, with the supposed correct one 

 added ; in order that the meaning of the species as used by that author may 

 be understood in his other writings. The very interesting locality-notes of 

 Messrs. Jewett and Green contain several entirely unexpected statements, 

 Panama and Mazatlan species being quoted from Sta. Barbara, and vice versa. 

 Some few well-known W. Indian forms also appear from Acapulco and 

 Panama; which it is more natural to regard as importations than as "repre- 

 sentative species." The same may be said of the remarkable appearance of 

 Livona pica at Sta. Barbara. When we remember the errors that have 



* Vide A. A. Livermore's War with Mexico Reviewed. Boston, 1850. 

 f A large part of the shells in the following lists, however, were not sent to this country; 

 having probably only passed through Dr. Gould's hands for examination. 



1856. q 



