152 
A PRELIMINARY INDEX OF THE MOLLUSCA OF 
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
By 
C H ARL ES H EDLEY, 
The Australian Museum. 
(Communicated by W. B. Alexander. Bead July 13, 1915.) 
Zoological investigation has progressed more rapidly in the 
Eastern States of Australia than in the West. The forrner have 
longer enjoyed the advantages offered by large and wealthy cities, 
of endowment of research, of Universities, of Museums, and of 
scientific societies. So the fauna of the south and east of the con- 
tinent thus came to be studied and catalogued at an earlier date. 
But with the increase of population, the advance of education, and 
especially the founding of a University and expansion of the 
Museum, Zoology in Western Australia will take her part in the 
general advance. 
Among the various branches of Zoology, few are more attrac- 
tive to the general student than Conchology. In every Stale, except 
this and the Northern Territory, a catalogue has been provided of 
the molluscan fauna. To supply this deficiency, and at the request 
of naturalists in Western Australia, a catalogue of the mollusca of 
the province has now been prepared as a foundation for future 
work. Since what is now known is but a fraction of what will be 
found eventually, it is offered as a “preliminary’’ index. Probably 
.most of the common and conspicuous shells, those which first attract 
attention, are here represented. But this number will be increased 
perhaps fourfold when small species and those from deep water are 
collected. 
Hit! lerto students in Western Australia and those abroad en- 
gaged in the study of the fauna of that State, have not had any con- 
secutive account of the mollusca. Even advanced students had diffi- 
culty in finding what information was published and when or where. 
The present endeavour is to abstract literature so that those who 
have access to libraries may readily identify West Australian shells, 
and that those not so fortunately situated may make the best use of 
fewer books, and learn in what direction to seek information. The 
plan followed, is to give first the original description on which the 
species is based, then a reference to an approved or accessible figure, 
finally the reference to occurrence in Western Australia. Besides 
this analysis of literature, there are noted additional species 
identified fro.m Western Australia in (he Natural History Museum, 
in London, and the Australian Museum in Sydney, but not hitherto 
