386 NOTES ON THE GENUS CYPRjEA. 



prevent a creation of new species from what are mere varieties. 

 In some species found at New Caledonia the altered shape of the 

 shell is so marked that it really amounts to a distortion, still this 

 has been found no excuse for creating these deformities or 

 varieties, as we choose to look upon them, into new species. 

 Take for instance the Cyprcea Eglantina of Duclos, which is, 

 undoubtedly, only a variety of C. Arabica ; again, the elongated, 

 distorted specimens of Moneta, from New Caledonia, were 

 described and named as a new species by Crosse under the name 

 of C. Barthelemyi, and is now only considered a variety, being 

 found in all stages of transition ; distorted specimens also of C. 

 annidus were named by Marie as a new species under the name 

 of C. knomeensis. C. Crossei of Marie can only be regarded as a 

 distorted variety of C. stolida ; and recently I have seen other 

 well marked species varying quite as much as those enumerated 

 from the fine collection of Mr. Eossitor, in New Caledonia ; the 

 species seem to vary more, especially in shape, from the last 

 named locality than any other. The colouration of the common 

 C. caunea is found to vary very much at the Mauritius ; during 

 some of the recent great tidal waves which visited that isle some 

 specimens were thrown up altogether devoid of their characteristic 

 markings. 



I have now to record another well marked variety of one of 

 the larger well known species from Circular Head, in Tasmania. 

 The specimen produced is an almost pure white variety of Cyprcea 

 umlilicata of Sowerby ; it is quite devoid of all the usual 

 characteristic spots and colouration of that species, and, without 

 due caution, might be easily described as a new one. 



Sowerby, in his Monograph, speaks of the species thus : — 

 " lactea fulvo — nebulosa maculis rotundis parvis fuscis ad 

 dorsum variegata." 



The present specimen is quite devoid of any approach to any 

 such small round spots as quoted, and I have thought it worthy 



