24 STUDIES ON AUSTRALIAN MOLLUSCA, 



bottom" and "about a cwt. of ooze" was secured.* I can find 

 no further history of this hundredweight of mud in the 

 Challenger publications, and I venture to suggest it as a probable 

 origin of the 164 B. shells. Every reason against the Australian 

 habitat of these shells becomes an argument in favour of their 

 Atlantic habitat. Firstly, my hypothesis satisfies the claim made 

 by Bissoa deliciosa and following ten species, to transfer the whole 

 collection from the Pacific to the Atlantic ; secondly, the field 

 books of the expedition show that the Atlantic Station 64 yielded 

 a great haul but no published results ; whereas the Pacific 

 Station 164 B. gave an insignificant haul with great published 

 results; thirdly, it is expressly stated by Smith that the 164 B. 

 shells "were picked out of samples of sea-bottom;" the Atlantic 

 sample was a cwt. of ooze, the Pacific sample was what returned 

 upon the sounding lead. 



This reasoning may or may not be suflicient grounds for incor- 

 porating the 164 B. shells in the Western-North Atlantic fauna, 

 but I submit that it justifies the elimination of the series from 

 the Australian fauna. 



The period of disturbed records includes a previous haul. At 

 Station 163 A., off Twofold Bay, N. S. Wales, depth 120-150 

 fathoms, the Challenger trawled several large shells of which no 

 notice appeared in the subsequent reports. Angas, on Brazier's 

 information, mentions! that Murex cervicornis, Lamarck; Cypraea 

 unibilicata, Sowerby; Valuta papillosa, Swainson; and others 

 were taken there. 



As corroborative evidence of the correctness of the locality of 

 these 164 B. shells, Smith cites the supposed finding alive of the 

 Mediterranean species Euthria cornea by Mr. R. C. Rossiter at 

 Wagap, New Caledonia. I wrote to Mr. Rossiter to inquire 

 about this and he replied : — 10th February, 1901, "that he had 

 not found it alive, but had recived it from a correspondent." A 



* Summary of Eesults, Chall. Ex. i., 1895, pp. 252-3. 

 t Angas, P.Z.S., 1877, p. 179. 



