VOLUTA.— Plate I. 



the V. angulata, of a rusty orange, marked with dark 

 spots like a leopard ; whilst the V. uivosa is purple, marked 

 with unequal black spots edged with white. V. mitsica is 

 the only species in which an operculum has been observed. 

 It is small, oblong, thin, and horny, taken by Mr. Cuming 

 from the living animal. 



The geographical distribution of the Volutes is worthy 

 of careful attention. Of sixty-one species at present 

 known, twenty-four, as already stated, inhabit the coast 

 of Australia. In the great eastern ocean, from Java to 

 Japan, only twelve are found. Seven are from different 

 parts of the coast of Africa, including Madagascar, six 

 from South America, east and west, and four inhabit the 

 West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico. Of the remaining 

 eight species the locality is not known. 



It may be observed, from this statement, that the Vo- 

 lutes have peculiarly a southern range. Only sixteen 

 species are found north of the equator, whilst there are 

 thirty-seven in the Southern Hemisphere, two of which, 

 F. Magellauiea and ancilla, of large size, inhabit the coast 

 of Patagonia and Tierra del Puego, in the same parallel of 

 latitude with Scotland and Hudson's Bay in the opposite 

 hemisphere. Yet the Volutes do not approach the Medi- 

 terranean or any part of Europe ; and it is curious to 

 observe that the fine and beautifully coloured V. mudca is 

 the only species found in the West Indies, except the 

 little F. Guildingii. F. guttata, a small species allied to 

 this, inhabits the coast of Honduras ; and it is believed on 

 good authority that the celebrated F. Junonia, of which 

 only a few specimens are known, is from the Gulf of 

 Mexico, probably the northern shore, near the mouth of 

 the Appalachicola Eiver. Only two small species have 

 been found on the western coast of South America, F. 

 harpa and Cumingii ; and of the African species the pre- 

 cise localities are unknown, excepting the F. Belessertiana 

 of Madagascar, and the beautifully cancellated F. aigssi- 

 cola, dredged from a bank of dead shells and iron stones, 

 at the depth of 133 fathoms, off the Cape of Good Hope. 



Species 1. (Mus. Cuming.) 



\'()LUTA Cumingii. Fol. testa ova/o-pgmmicJali, crassis- 

 siiiia, Sjiird acuminata, apice aviihi, (nifnirlihiis siipenie 

 coticm-o-dc'divibus, deinde tiodnln.sis, uiiilnHs, in costis 

 tmiudis descendentilius, eoliinuUd Iriidicatd, lahro in- 

 cra.imto, intus medio subcontracto et obtuse dentato ; 

 albidd, caruteo spadiceoque nehdosd, liic illic interrupts 

 nigro-vittatd, apertura fauce aurautid. 



Cuming's Volute. Shell ovately pyramidal, very thick, 

 spire acuminated, sharp at the apex, whorls concavely 

 slanting round the upper part, then nodose, nodules 

 descending in swollen ribs, columella three-plaited, 

 lip thickened, a little contracted and obtiisely toothed 

 in the middle ; whitish, clouded with blue and brown, 

 and filleted here and there in an interrupted manner 

 with black, interior of the aperture orange. 



Brodeeip, Pro. Zool. Soc, 1832, p. 33. 



Hab. Gulf of Ponseca, San Salvador, Central America 

 (di-edged at the depth of nine fathoms) ; Cuming. 



A thick solid shell, in which the columellar plaits are 

 transversely sculptured, and the lip faintly toothed within. 

 Externally the shell is characterized by a row of swollen 

 ribs which are noduled round the upper part. The 

 colom-ing is of a mixed pattern of black, blue, and brown. 



Species 3. (Mus. Brit.) 



VoLUT.A MAGNiFicA. Fol. testd ovato-ventricosd, tenui- 

 cidd, subampliter iiiflatd, spird brevinscuta, apice 

 papillari, aiifructihus Iambus, superne leviter con- 

 cavo-aiignlatis, basi sidicontractis, columella guadri- 

 pUcatd, aperturd patuld, labro simplici, vix incrassatd; 

 fulvescente,ferrugineo-castatteo nebulatd et saturatiore 

 latifasciatd, maculis pallidis transversis lanceolato-an- 

 gulatis intermittente, columelld aurantio-carneold. 



The MAGNIFICENT Volute. Shell ovately ventricose, 

 rather thin, somewhat largely inflated, spire rather 

 short, papillary at the apex, whorls smooth, slightly 

 concavely angled round the upper part, a little con- 

 tracted at the base, columella four-plaited, aperture 

 wide open, lip simple, scarcely thickened; light 

 fulvous, clouded and more darkly broad-banded with 

 rusty chestnut, leaving transverse lanceolately angled 

 pale spots, columella orange-carnelion. 



Chemnitz, Conch. Cab. vol.xi. p. 8. pl.174-5. f. 1693-4. 



EaJj. Rose Bay, Port Jackson, AustraUa ; Stutchbrny. 

 Well known by Chemnitz's admirable figures, this 



species remains unapproached by any other. It is of 



comparatively light growth, and never tubercled. 



Species 3. (Mus. Cuming.) 



VoLUTA HARPA. Fol. testd oblongo-ovatd, crassissimd, spird 

 breviuscidd, apice acute acuminatd, anfractibus lavibus 

 vel miimte slrlatis, convexo-tumidis, longitudinaliter 

 late snperficialiter sulcatis, colunielld transversim tri- 

 plicatd, basi recurvd, aperturd angnstd, labro rude 

 varicoso, intus obtuse dentato; fulvescente-aurautid, 

 caruleo-castaneoque undique nebulatd et variegatd. 



The haep Volute. Shell oblong-ovate, very thick, spire 

 rather short, sharply acuminated at the apex, whorls 

 smooth or minutely striated, longitudinally broadly 

 superficially grooved, columella transversely three- 

 plaited, recurved at the base, aperture narrow, lip 

 rudely varicose, obtusely toothed ; fulvous orange, 

 clouded and variegated throughout with blue and 

 chestnut. 



Barnes, Annals of the Lyceum Xat. Hist, of New York, 

 vol.i.p. 139. pi. 9.f. 4. 



Hab. St. Elena, West Columbia (from sandy mud at the 

 depth of eight fathoms) ; Cuming. 

 A sharply ridged acuminated species, of the same type, 



colour, and general aspect, as F. Cumingii. 



