BY C HEDLEY. 195 



It is here submitted that the orange- tin ted interior is a valid 

 recognition-mark whereby we may prove Venus nitida to be the 

 species usually known as Venus Icevigata, Sowerby. The remain- 

 der of the characters, the size and habitat conform to this con- 

 clusion. I submitted this idea to my friend, Mr. W. L. May, 

 and inquired if the naturalists of the Astrolabe would have been 

 likely to meet with V. Jcevigata on the beaches round Hobart. 

 He replied (18 : ix. :'03) : — " I should think your view is probably 

 right. Prof. Tate thought iiitida might be a synonym of C. 

 planatella, but I now think that is a mistake. I do not think 

 planatella is found in the Dervvent, whilst C. Icevigata would be, 

 and the description and figures, as you say, seem to fit the latter 

 well. The numbering of the Astrolabe plate is wrong, the two 

 valves on the left being nitida.^' 



The species whose figure and description follow in the Voyage 

 of the Astrolabe that of V. nitida, namely, V. denticulata, 

 appears to me from its purple interior to be Chione gallinula, 

 Lamarck. 



Dr. W. H. Dall included V. fumigata, Sowb., in his new 

 section Macridiscus.'^ 



Cardium bechei, Reeve. 



It has escaped the attention of all subsequent writers, even 

 absurcl to say, that of Reeve himself, that this species was first 

 described in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1847, 

 p. 25 (April 13, 1847). For it is always referred to as of Adams & 

 Reeve, and quoted as dating from the ' Voyage of the Samarang.' 

 The species has occurred at the Tweed Heads, and so just falls 

 into the category of New South Wales moUusca, Brazier has 

 mentioned itf from several localities in Queensland, and Melvill 

 and Standenl note it from Warrior Island. I have drawn atten- 

 tion§ to its possible identity with the fossil C. antisemigranu- 

 latum, McCoy. 



* Trans. Wagner Inst. iii. 1903, p. 1289. 



t These Proceedings, i. 1876, (1877) p. 306. 



::: Journ. Linn. Soc. Zool. xxvii. 1899, p. 192. 



§ Mem. Aust. Mus. iv. 1902, p. 288. 



