">'2 GLESSULA. 



"Contributions to Indian Malacology," continued through 

 many years of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 

 contain a great mass of information on this genus, as on many 

 others of the Indian fauna. Hanley and Theobald illustrated 

 most of the types of Benson, among others, in their Conchologia 

 IndicM. Finally, Colonel R. H. Beddome has recently reviewed 

 the genus in his "Notes on Indian and Ceylonese Species of 

 Glessula." 



From the purely conchological standpoint we may be said to 

 have an extensive knowledge of Glessula, yet various characters 

 of the first importance have been neglected. The embryonic 

 whorls of the types must all be re-examined and their sculpture de- 

 Bribed. Our ignorance of the embryonic sculpture of many 

 forms prevents any natural classification of the species. The 

 surface of the later whorls in all the species should be examined 

 under high power, since some species have a minute sculpture 

 not visible with an ordinary hand lens. 



No fossil species of Glessula are known to me. A few species 

 of other genera have been referred to Glessula. 



Glessula obtusa and G. erosa Blanford are species of Bacillum 

 (Vol. xvii, pp. 1, 4). 



Glessula orthoceras G.-A. is a Bacillum (I. c. , p. 2). 



Glessula philippinensis Semper, of Cooke, is a Ceecilioides (this 

 vol., p. 49). 



No natural classification of the species of Glessula can be 

 attempted until the sculpture of the apices of the shells and the 

 anatomy of a number of representative species are studied. I 

 have separated a group of West African forms (species 89 to 

 92) as a new section, Neoglessula. The species are here grouped 

 geographically, as follows: 



I. Ceylon, species 1 to 13, 34, 49, 52. 

 II. Peninsular India, species 14 to 58. 



III. Extra-Peninsular India, Indo-China, Yunnan, etc., 



species 59 to 77. 



IV. Habitat unknown, species 78 to 80. 



V. Sumatra, Java and Borneo, species 81, 82. 

 VI. Eastern Africa, species 83 to 86. 

 VII. West Africa, species 87 to 92. 



