')r THE NAUTILUS. 



(=C. valentia Perr) 1 ), C. leucodon Brod., C. broderipi Grav, C. 

 marginata, Conus gloria-maris and many of the beautiful Volutes; 

 and looking at those strange forms obtained by the "Challenger" 

 expedition : Giui-tllfn <ilnlmti-iin< (Southern Ocean, 1600 fathoms), 

 Provoeator puleher (105 fathoms off Kerguelen), Volutolithes abyssi- 

 eola (150 fathoms off S. Africa, a genus so common in the Eocene), 

 Colum bari inn pagodoidix (410 fathoms off Sydney, Australia), Lyria 

 /ntfii (275 fathoms off western New Zealand), Oocorys sulcata, and 

 others. A shell that interested me very much was Fulr/nr coarcfntinn 

 Sowb., two specimens from the Gulf of Mexico. It is undoubtedly 

 a dextral Fulgur perversum. It reminds one of F. rajmm from the 

 pliocene of Florida, except that it has a prominent row of small, 

 spine-like tubercles at the periphery. Like the few specimens of T. 

 fii-H-a that are sinistral, we may only see such forms once in a life- 

 time. To describe the beauty and extent of the collection of land 

 shells space would not permit, even if I could. The groups from 

 the Philippines seem to be perfect, while the collection of Amphi- 

 dromus recently monographed by Mr. Hugh Fulton, aud which now 

 contains his types, is a grand sight ; one can hardly imagine the ex- 

 quisite coloring of some of the species. Equally fine are the groups 

 representing the African, South American and West Indian faunas. 

 The Nudibranchiata are shown by an elegant series of glass models, 

 while throughout the entire collection are wax, glass or alcoholic 

 representatives of the soft parts of many of the principal genera. 



But this is not the only collection of shells. " The alcoves round 

 the central hall, five on eacli side, are devoted to the Introductory 

 or Elementary Morphological Collection, designed to teach the most 

 important points in the structure of the principal types of animal 

 and plant life, and the terms used in describing them, all of which 

 should be known before the systematic portion of the collection can 

 be studied to advantage. This has been called the ' Index Museum.' " 

 The Mollusca are in alcove No. VII ; here is arranged an elegant 

 series of anatomical preparations, a large series illustrating the forms 

 of shells, and other series showing ornamentation, specific variation, 

 muscular impressions, the hinge-teeth, opercula, etc. 



The north end of the central hall is known as the Gallery of 

 Hi iiish Zoology. Here is a large collection of the Mollusca of the 

 IJritish Isles, occupying five of the horizontal and one upright case, 

 the latter containing the large specimens. 



I cannot dosr this brief description of the collection of Mollusca 

 in this great Museum without giving you some idea of the vast col- 



