190 ' Frederick C/hi/hiki u : 



Occurrence. — Tertiary: l)aleoiiil)ian series. From the l)lue clays of 

 the deeper part of the Altona Bay Coal-shaft. Collected and pre- 

 sented bv Mr. J. vS. Green. 



Fam. Cypraeidae. 



Genus CypPaea, Linnaeus. 



Cyyraea gnhrieli, sp. nov. (Plate XIIT.) 



Description. — Shell 'very large. Seen fro mi above, siib-oval ; 

 anterior wide and lilunt, posterior acuminate. Seen from the side, 

 back very gibbous, with a steep face on the apical end, and sloping 

 more gradually to the posterior. Spire partly concealed, situated in 

 a depression. Base flatttened, oval ; inner lip rounded (somewhat 

 cinished in specimen), smooth within, flattened towards the ant-erior 

 canal, and termimiting in a projecting flange ; outer lip rather 

 nari'ow, fairly sniooth, but showing about 6 transverse undulations 

 in the median and posterior area., representing the bases of unde- 

 veloped or obtuse teeth. Surface covered with a thin lirown enamel 

 which is conspicuously contused all over the shell, appearing as a 

 polygonal system of depressions, fairly regular in. size and averaging 

 about 5 mm. across. The underlying shell also bears contused mark- 

 ings, but not SO' prominently. 



Dimensions. — ^Length, 136.5 mm. ; width, 101.5 mm. ; height 

 (base to vertex), 75 mm. ; greatest diameter of depressed apical area, 

 23 mm. ; width of middle of mouth, 9.25 mm. ; width near posterior 

 end, 11.25 mm. 



Observations. — This large and handsome cowry is nearest to 

 Cyprnea contusa, McCoy,i both in general form and in the contused 

 ornament. It is, however, of much larger dimensions, being more 

 than four times as long, and differs in liaving a broad, flattened 

 anterior with sunken spire, and a flatter Ivase or oral surface. 



Amongst the giant cowries it is shaped more like C. dorsafa, Tate, 2 

 than C. (jigcts, McCoy, ^ l)cing shorter and more tumid than the 

 latter. It is very distinct, however, even from C. dorsata in the 

 steepness of the apical face, in which the spire is deeply immersed. 



Occurrence. — Janjukian series ; Bird Bock Cliffs, Torquay, Viet. 

 Collected and presented by Mr. C. J. Gabriel, after whom the species 

 is named.' 



1. Profl. Pal. Vict., <lee. v^ 1877.1). 38, pi. xlix., fi^s. 3, 4. 



'2. Trans. Koy. Soo. S. Aust.r., vol. xiii., 1890, pt. ii., p. 212; pi. x., flff. 4 ; pi. xi., fiff. 6. 



:!. Prod. Pal. Vict., dec. ii, 1875, p. 19, pi. xs.; pi. xvi., fig. 2; pis. xvii. and xviii., fig. 1 

 Iliid., dec. iii, 187(i, p. S.'i, jils. \xviii. and xxix., fly'. 1. 



4. Mr. (!al)riel is to ho convrratiilatcd on the coniplote success of his endeavour to secure this 

 lartre specimen, as he was armed only with a pocket-knife. The shell was very hadly impresnated 

 with salt from the sea-spray, hut hy slowly dryini; and sizin;;- the specimen it has heen saved from 

 the rapid disintegration that was going on when ohtained. 



