THE NAUTILUS. 55 



XVIII, fig. 2, the same authors had redescribed and figured this 

 shell accepting Agatha as a valid subgenus of Pyramidella. They 

 gave full references and concluded with "P. (-4.) virgo A. Ad. is 

 the type of Agatha; we do not know why Adams changed this to 

 Myonia and Amathis as we have been unable to find the name pre- 

 occupied." 



The references they give provide the solution ot their puzzle. 

 When A. Adams described Agatha virgo 1 he did not introduce a new- 

 genus, as after the description he wrote " may well be regarded as 

 the queen of a genus of which all the species are lovely." This 

 indicates that a genus with a number of species known to him and 

 already described was in his mind. This is confirmed later by the 

 remark " Myonia virgo is a third species of Menesiho." These two 

 papers were written from Japan, and immediately upon receipt of 

 the first one he corrected the error thus, " generic name should have 

 been Myonia not Agatha." * 



He then introduced Amathis* and designated as type Myonia virgo 

 A. Ad. From the preceding it seems that Amathis should be 

 utilized, but a puzzling complication is introduced by the fact that 

 later Adams himself forgot his work and reintroducing Agatha re- 

 marks "of which A. virgo A. Ad. is the type." 5 



DE FOLIN'S NAMES. 



De Folin introduced many genera of his family Chemnitzidae and 

 these names are noted in Dall and Bartsch's work. The history of 

 these names as well as the interpretation appears very imperfectly 

 known, and it would have been well had Dall and Bartsch gone 

 carefully into the literature. They appear to have handled the con- 

 chological work splendidly, and it is disappointing to have to find 

 fault with their quotations. In a series entitled " Les Fonds de la 

 Mer," which was issued in parts from 1867 onwards and is appar- 

 ently complete in three volumes, De Folin described a number of 

 Pyramidellids. New generic names were introduced without indica- 

 tion of their novelty. 



At the same time De Folin drew up a classification of the Chem- 

 nitzida which was published in the Ann. Soc. Linn. Maine et Loire, 

 Vol. XII, pp. 191 et seg., 1870. This appears to have escaped Dall 



1 Annals, Ser. Ill, Vol. VI, 1860, p. 422. * Loc. cit., Vol. VII, 1861, p. 295. 

 l Loc. cit., Vol. VIII, 1861, p. 142. * Loc. cit., Vol. VIII, 1861, p. 303. 



6 Loc. cit.. Ser. IV, Vol. VI, 1870, p. 127. 



