CANCELLARIA 



Genus CANCELTARIA, Lamarck. 

 Tmta ovata sete fiisiformis, interdum lavigata, sxpius dense 

 reticulata, interdum imperforata, plerumque ampliter 

 piv/undi umbilicata, spine suturd plerumque plus mi- 

 nus late angulato-excavatd ; columella bi-tri-plicatd, 

 plicis pkrumque valiclibus, versus basin minorUms, 

 basi nonnumquam postice recurvd ; aperturd ooatd, 

 fauce plus minus valide lirald, labro interdum serrato. 

 Operculum nullum,. 

 Shell ovate or fusiform, sometimes smooth, mostly ela- 

 borately reticulated, sometimes imperforated, geue- 

 rally largely deeply umbilicated, suture of the spire 

 generally more or less broadly angularly excavated ; 

 columella two-three-plaited, plaits mostly strong, 

 smaller towards the base, base sometimes recurved 

 posteriorly ; aperture ovate, interior more or less 

 strongly ridged, lip sometimes serrated. No oper- 

 culum. 

 This very beautiful genus, which has risen greatly iu 

 the estimation of connoisseurs during the last few years, 

 owing to the comparative rarity of the species aud to 

 their very elegant vanities of convolution and sculpture, 

 and our acquaintance with which is chiefly due to the 

 researches of Mr. Cuming and Sir Edward Belcher, and 

 to the beautiful monograph in the ' Thesaurus Conchy- 

 liorura' of Mr. Sowerby, occupies a somewhat anomalous 

 position in the system. The shells of the Gancellarire, 

 with all the characteristics of those of a carnivorous race 

 of molluscs, such as solid testaceous substance, enamelled 

 apertures, and elaborately latticed sculpture, allied, too, 

 in general aspect to the more voracious of the class, are 

 nevetheless, according to the observations of M. Deshayes 

 upon one of the most typical of the genus, the C. cancel- 

 lata of the Mediterranean, a tribe of vegetable feeders 

 uuprovided with any operculum. 



Apart from the main generic character of the group, 

 namely, the plaits on the columella, the species are sin- 

 gularly unlike iu generic aspect. In C. bulbulus and pij- 

 rum, for example, we have a heavy subglobular shell with- 

 out any sculpture at all, while in C. crenifera, lamellosa, 

 and others ue have sculpture of the most elaborate kind ; 

 and whilst in the former of these the whorls are so closely 

 (■onvoluted as to leave the columella, or axial pillar, im- 

 perforated, iu the latter, aud especially in that marveUous 

 species the C. triyonostoma, the pillar is formed round an 

 umbilicus which penetrates inwardly nearly to the apex. 



December 



Little more than half-a-dozen species were known to 

 Lamarck. It is to the deep-sea dredgings of Mr. Cuming, 

 reaching from seven to forty fathoms off the shores of 

 Central America and the Philippine Islands, that we are 

 chiefly indebted to the magnificent series figured in this 

 monograph, forming the pride of his collection, and tliere 

 appears small probability of their being much added 

 to. 



Species 1. (Fig. «, i, Mus. Cuming.) 



Cakcell.^kia CuMlSGl-iNA. Can. testa oMongo-ovald, 

 ad basin attenuatd, subumbilicatd, spird breviusculd, 

 oblusd, rude oblique convolutd, anfractibus ad suiiiram 

 eanaliculatis, delude rotundatis, undique anguste sul- 

 catls et liratis ; spadiceo-fuscd ; aperturd ovatd, plicis 

 tribus, infimdfere obsoletd. 



Cuming's C.\ncell.4.kia. Shell oblong-ovate, attenu- 

 ated at the base, slightly umbilicated, spire rather 

 short, obtuse, rudely obliquely convoluted, whorls 

 channelled at the suture, then rounded, everywhere 

 narrowly grooved and ridged ; fawn-brown ; aperture 

 ovate, plaits three, the lowest almost obsolete. 



Petit, Guerin's Mag. de Zool. 



Hab. ? 



This remarkable species is chiefly distinguished by its 

 obtuse form and rude oblique plan of convolution ; the 

 surface is moreover sculptured throughout with narrow 

 excavated grooves, the intermediate ridges being ecjually 

 narrow, and sometimes faintly linearly grooved in the 

 centre. 



Species 2. (Fig. a, b, Mus. Cuming.) 

 Cancellaria solida. Can. testa ovato-globosd, cra.ud, 

 solidd, ad basin concavo - canaliculatd, imperforata, 

 spird brevissimd, suturd impressd, anfractibus prope 

 apicem decussatim liratis, deinde lavibus; aperturd 

 subangusta, fauce liratd, plicis duabus, superiori an- 

 gustd, prominente ; aurantio-spadiced, inius albd. 

 The solid Cancellaria. Shell ovately globose, thick, 

 solid, concavely channelled at the base, imperforated, 

 spire very short, suture impressed, whorls decussately 

 ridged near the apex, then smooth ; aperture rather 

 narrow, interior ridged, plaits two, the upper narrow, 

 prominent ; orange-fawn, interior white. 

 , 1856. 



