OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 137 



It will be remarked that those forms which have no spines are 

 clean, smooth, diaphanous shells. All the specimens seen by me 

 have more whorls, are more solid, and generally larger shells 

 than those of Tasmania and Victoria ; the operculum is few 

 whorled with a lateral nucleus ; some portions of it are almost 

 transparent, while there are darker spots of reddish brown color, 

 and the whole seems covered with a secondary exterior membrane 

 of sooty appearance rather like the periostraca. A smooth variety 

 is represented at plate 13, fig. 3. Faludestrina Cumingiana, M. 

 P. Fischer, (Jour. Conch. 1860, p. 208,) is said by its author to 

 be distinguished by its globular ventricose form ; absence of 

 spines on 3| first whorls, their greater number (17 — 20) on last 

 whorl ; their length, obliquity (curving towards spire) ; the obso- 

 lete keel on last whorl corresponding to spines ; the peristome 

 slightly thickened and entire. Faludestrina salleana, Fischer, is 

 more conical, less globular, shorter spines, and on four last whorls, 

 keels lirate but below the spines ; last whorl less proportionately 

 swollen. The figure of these two shells in the journal referred to 

 seem to me to be too highly colored and would not lead one to 

 infer that the spines arose from a periostraca, which they certainly 

 do. 



The Physas sent to me differ considerably from the only two 

 attributed to New Zealand by Von Martens, P. tahulata, Gould, 

 and P. variahilis, Gray ; but there are many more described by 

 Reeve who does not notice the latter by Gray. 



Physa tahulata is a much more inflated shell than the one first 

 to be described ; stouter, more solid, especially in the columella. 

 P. Novce Zelandice, Gray, is nearer but still wider, more flattened, 

 and with a thicker columella. P. antipodea, Sow., is elongated 

 and not flattened. P. gihlosa, Gould, {Wilkes Expl. Exp.) is very 

 like it and corresponds closely in size and colouring. Gould's 

 description is " hreviter suhcylindracea, pallide straminea, polita, 

 spira brevi, conica, acuminata, ult. anfr. swperne gibhosa vel rotun- 

 date angulata, antice attenuata, apertura elongata, labio externo 

 rectiusculo, plica columellari, brevi tortuosa. There are quite suf- 

 ficient differences to make one decide on calling the following a new 



