Rick:

To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as a "Cuming label"
except for the handwritten labels made for his collection in the BM(NH)
which bear a small handwritten "m.c." in the corner.  This does not preclude
the possibility that he did identify the shells in question.  I cannot
locate the specific references in Carpenter but found mention in Palmer
(1958: 13).  I am confused as it is stated that "Carpenter compared the
specimens in the Hugh Cuming Collection in the British Museum ..., with the
help of Cuming."  The Cuming collection did not go to the BM until the year
after he died [Cuming died in1865].  Carpenter (1863 Report, printed 1864,
page 64 [578]) refers to "the Cumingian, the Brit. Mus., and other leading
collections" showing that they were separate collections.    The specimens
may well have been identified by Cuming as printed on the labels, but his
collection was not in the BM at the time.

I think it highly unlikley that any information, such as "collected by
Swan,"  would be on specimens that first went to Cuming although such data
should be on specimens that went directly to the BM.

Regards,

dick

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