EULIMA. 451 



tuous, filiform vas deferens or epididymis, like that of Buc- 

 cinum undatum (our Murex undatus) ; it is at least 2^ inches 

 long, or three times the length of the shell. The tongue is 

 also of extraordinary length, flat, strap-shaped, and without a 

 spinous armature. There is a single branchial plume in the 

 usual place ; it is small, narrow, of twelve to fifteen short coarse 

 strands, with an arterial or branchial vein in the centre; 

 indeed we are not quite sure that the plume is not double ; 

 the colour is pale drab. We have not observed an incipient 

 fold of the mantle, but whether it be there or not, we have 

 sufficient evidence of an approach to the Muricidal tribes; 

 and after we have given some notes on Scalaria, lanthina, 

 Natica, Lamellaria, and Velutina, our scheme of natural 

 order from the Bullida to the Muricidal families will be 

 sufficiently developed. 



It is scarcely doubtful that the E. nitida is a mere variety 

 of the type, E. polita, and the two varieties of E, distort a are 

 the young. The E. polita is lively, not at all shy, and inha- 

 bits the coralline zone at Exmouth in abundance. The other 

 acknowledged British species are the E. subulata and E. bi- 

 lineata, but their distinctness admits of doubt. 



E. DISTORTA, Philippi, Moll. Sicilise. 



E. distorta, Brit. Moll. iii. p. 232, pi. 92. f. 4,5,6; (animal) pi. K.K. 

 f. 4. 



We have considered this arcuated shell as the young of 

 E. polita, but having obtained some living examples, we offer 

 a description, that naturalists may judge for themselves. 



Animal inhabiting a glabrous, transparent, arcuated or 

 distorted shell of 8-10 volutions ; the ground colour is flake 

 or pure white, and the anterior part of the body is marked 

 irregularly with 15-20 distinct minute red dots. The liver in 

 our various examples, as seen through the shell, is yellow, red, 

 pink, light green and white, and the same variations, with the 

 addition of purple, occur in E. polita. The tentacula are 

 pure or frosted white, and appear proportionately rather 

 longer, flatter and less conical, than in E. polita ; their termini 

 have the characteristic flake-white tips or minute lobes of 



2c2 



