in Dr Fleming's Work on Brituh Anirncds. 79 



surprising in an author who has dvreh with unusual severity on 

 similar inaccuracies in others. Dr Fleming has omitted the 

 Ch. punctatus of Tiirton, in the probable belief that it is merely 

 an imperfect specimen of some other species. On the coast of 

 North Durham we have collected the Ch. marginatus^ rubevy 

 cmereuSf and Iccvigatus^ — the first very common, and of a large 

 size, the three latter all very rare. 



The genus Bulla is left much as our author found it, and 

 there is perhaps no one in the sytem of which so little is known. 

 We add the description of a species which appears to be new. 



1. Bulla pttnctura. 



Shell oblong-oval, opake, white, marked with numerous close transverse 

 punctured strise. 



Hab.—Sea. coast near Berwick. 

 Desc— Shell 4 Unes long, thickish ; apex with a very narrow perforation. It 

 resembles the B. ampulla of Montagu in shape, but is distinguished by hav- 

 ing the whole surface punctured, and these punctures are arranged in regular 

 striae. Only one specimen has occurred, and a part of the outer lip appears 

 to have been broken off during the animal's life, and again renewed. This 

 portion is smooth. 



In the Holostomata we could have wished that Dr Fleming 

 had adopted the genus Lacuna of Dr Turton, instituted for the 

 reception of some closely allied species which we find placed in 

 the genera Tm'ho and Natica. The Nerita pallidula of British 

 authors, and its allies, are certainly not Natka, for the perfora- 

 tion is on the pillar and not behind it, and the eyes of the ani- 

 mal are inserted on a bulging part of the base of the tentacula, 

 and not elevated on peduncles. The Turbo margarita also af- 

 fords a good instance of the empiricism which we think we ob- 

 serve to prevail in the establishment of genera ; and of which 

 other illustrations might readily be adduced *. Captain Laskey,. 

 its discoverer, and Mr Montagu, made it a HeUx ; Dr Leach con- 

 sidered it sui generis, and called it Margarita ; Dr Turton and 



• "We cannot, for example, conjecture on what principles the establish- 

 ment of such genera as Montague^ Aplexa, Myxas, BaJea, &c. can be justified. 

 The class Conchifera will afford, we think, similar examples : and we may re- 

 mark that in that class too much importance has been attached to the cardinal 

 teeth as furnishing generic characters. 



