Ile St. Michel (Açores) [le] 2 Octobre 1882

M. J. Wood-Mason
Monsieur

J' ai dû vous faire attendre un peu la réponse de votre aimable lettre afin de pouvoir la faire accompagner de ce petit envoi de coq. [coquilles] terr. [terrestres] des Açores que je pense seront bien accueillies par vous:

1 Vitrina brumalis, Mor. & Dr.
2 Zonites volutella, Pff.
3 ..... - miguelinus, Pff.
4 Helix azorica, Albers
5...... - caldeirarum, Mor. & Dr. (très rare)
6 Bulimus hartungi, Mor. & Dr.
7 ......- forbesi, Mor. & Dr.
8 ......- vulgaris, Mor. & Dr.
9 ......- pruninus, Gould.
10 Pupa fasciolata, Mor & Dr.
11 ....- fuscidula, Mor & Dr.
12 Cyclostoma hespericum, Mor. & Dr.

Toutes ces espèces ont été jugées particulières à la malacofaune açoréenne. Je vous remercie vivement l'intérêt bienveillant que vous avez bien accordé à ma lettre et je regrette que M. Nevill soit malade.

Votre indication au sujet de la Viquesnelia est du plus haut intérêt puisqu'il [est] certain que tout le monde croit la dussumieri comme indienne. Tout récemment encore M. Wollaston dans son excellent ouvrage Testacea atlantica¹ écrit: -This is the most anomalous of the Azorean Limacidae, and its interest is still further increased by the fact that the only other member of the genus which has hitherto been brought to light in a recent state (namely the V. dussumieri, Fischer) is Indian. Je n'ai pas encore comrnuniqué votre suggestion aux naturalistes européens qui s'intéressent pour Ia ma/[150] Iacologie et je vous demande Ia permission de Ia faire puisqu'iI s'agit d'un fait zooIogique qui touche aux questions si problématiques de Ia dispersion des mollusques terrestres, et qu'iI convient d'en rectifier une erreur si elle existe.

Je prends Ia Iiberté de vous offrir un petit travaiI sur un fait intéressant. J' ai bien reçu votre mémoire que je vous remercie beaucoup.

Veuillez agréer I'expression de mon respect et de ma reconnaissance.
A.F.

BengaI Club, Calcutta, 5-3-83

To Signor Arruda Furtado
Dear Sir

On my retum from Australia, I found Mr. Wood-Mason had Ieft for England - he had put on one side for me your honored Ietter of 2 October. Shortly afterwards the box with 12 species of Azorean shells arrived -Alas! The box was completely smashed and the contents reduced to powder, the only things I succeeded in rescuing from the ruins were two sp. [species] of Buliminus [sic].

I have been again very ill and I am Ieaving the country for good, by P. & O. steamer for Malta, Ieaving next week.

I have just sent you off, in exchange, two boxes by post - containing 12 species, all, I think, of interest.

It is quite well known that dussumieri [Viquesnelia], of Gray (not Fischer) - came from Mahé, Seychelles. Dussumier only collected there - one of these sIugs collected by him was purchased by Gray of British Museum of an unknown person he described it, as collected by Dussumier at the Seychelles and called it Mariella dussumieri - see Cat. Brit. [Catalog of the British] Museum 1855. In 1856, Fischer not having seen the above, redescribed it - fortunately he chanced on same specific name and called it -dussumieri.

Afterwards there was a great row - the French party said Gray was tempting men to steal and sell him their specimens - all Dussumier's coll [collection] belonged to Jardin des Plantes. Gray retorted and said it was not his fault, if the officers of the Paris Museum sold their specimens on the sly

Yours sincerely
G. Nevill

1 - Wollaston,T. V.. Testacea Atlantica: or the land and freshwater shells of the Azores. Madeira. Selvagens. Canaries, Cape Verde and Saint Helena. London. L. Reeve & Co.. 1878.