PREFACE. 
In 1889-90 I spent nearly a year in Japan and some few weeks in 
China. I went for health and pleasure, devoting much of my time to 
making a collection of Japanese art objects, which now is arranged, 
catalogued and mounted, as a donation to thè Detroit Art Mnseum. 
I also attempted to make a collection of thè Molluscan Fauna of 
Japan, and was assisted in that purpose by an intelligent Japanese 
who was in my employ during my entire stay in that country. He 
visited at intervals thè entire east coast from Tokyo along Sagama 
and Saruga, down along Kii, Awa and Toza, along thè north shore 
of thè Inland Sea as far as Bingo, in communication with thè fisher- 
men, who gather not only fish but largely mollusks, mostly by dredge 
nets, in water sometimes as deep as thirty fathoms. This region lies 
between 33° and 36° north latitude, and between 133° and 141° east 
longitude, and this collection may be fairly said to represent thè 
Marine Fauna of that limit. It is on this east coast, moreover, that 
thè Kuro-Shiwo, or Gulf Stream of thè Pacific, trends to thè north 
east, and which accounts probably for finding occasionally thè more 
strictly tropical species of mollusca. 
On arriving home and sending specimens of my shells to thè Phil- 
adelphia Academy of Naturai Sciences for comparison and determin- 
ation, I have been delighted to find' that Prof. H. A. Pilsbry speaks 
of it in high terms. I quote as follows from his letter to me of 
November i9th, 1890: 
“ Your collection is a very valuable one and includes many species 
not in our Museum. * * * It would be very useful to have a list 
of these shells published. If you would get up sudi a list, giving exact 
localities wherever known, it would form a useful supplement to 
Dimker's Index Mollusco 7 'iim Marie Japonici — thè most complete sum- 
mary heretofore published. 
