Y L U T A 



Species 4. (Fig. a, h, d, Mus. Cuming ; Fig. c, Mus. Brit.) 

 VoLUTA ATTLICA. Vol. testa oblongo-ovatd, crassii, spird 

 breviiisculd, subexsertd, apice papillam 7nuticani sub- 

 amplam formante, anfractibus snbtilissimi striatic, 

 miperne declivibus, srepissime leviter angulatis, ad an- 

 gulum tuberculatis, tubercuUs compressu, pauluhtm de- 

 scendentibus, interdum spimso-squamatk, columelldfor- 

 titer qiiadriplicatd, aperturd lotu/imculd, labro simpUci; 

 pallide aurantio-cameold, liiieis tenuibws longitudinal i- 

 bus maculisqwe grandibtis coccineo-7-ufis variepictd, iutef- 

 diim laii/asciatd et variegatd, maculis perpaucis iiiger- 

 rimo-fitscis. 

 The courtier Volute. Shell oblong-ovate, thick, spire 

 rather short, somewhat exscrted, forming a rather 

 large smooth papilla, whorls veiy finely striated, 

 slanting round the upper part, most frequently slightly 

 angled, tubercled at the angle, tubercles compressed, 

 a little descending, sometimes spinosely squamate, 

 columella strongly fom--plaitcd, apertm-e rather long, 

 lip simple ; pale orange-flesh tinged, variously painted 

 with scarlet-red blotches and fine longitudinal Knes, 

 sometimes broadly banded and mottled, with a few 

 black-brown spots. 

 SoLANDER. Sowerby, TankervQle Catalogue, App. p. 29. 



pi. 3. 

 Hab. Sooloo Archipelago ; Cuming. 



This eminently beautifid species has been known for 

 many years by a specimen contained in the celebrated 

 museum of the last eentm-y belonging to the Duchess of 

 Portland, described in the Portland Catalogue as follows, 

 by Dr. Solander, a Swedish naturalist and pupU of Linnfeus, 

 who, upon coming to this country, accompanied Sir Joseph 

 Banks in his voyage round the world vnili Capt. Cook, 

 and was subsequently employed at the British Museum 

 in arranging the valuable collections of natural history 

 resulting from their researches. "No. -1021. Valuta aidica, 

 a beautiful red-clouded species of the Wild Music kind, 

 its country unknown, unique." A description in Latin 

 may also be found among the Banksian manuscripts in 

 the British Museum. This specimen passed from the 

 Portla^id ]\Iuseuin into that of M. Caloune, then into the 

 collections of the Earl of TaukerviUe and of Mr. Broderip, 

 and lastly into that of our national museum, where it 

 remained unique uutU the return of Mr. Cuming from his 

 voyage among the Philippine Islands, during which he 

 obtained several magnificent specimens from the Sooloo 

 Archipelago, mostly dilfering from the original one in 

 being tuberculated. Of these Mr. Broderip characterized 



sLx new varieties iu the Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society for 1812. The accompanying figm-es, representing 

 the most remarkable, were described by Mr. Broderip as 

 foUows : — 



Fig. 4 a. 



" Nodidous, whitish, lineated with very close-set delicate 

 pale yellowish undulated lines ; body-whorl girt by two 

 broad yellowish-red bands mottled finely with the gi-ound 

 colour. The upper band is bordered above with a row of 

 rich dark-brown spots approaching closely to black, each 

 spot being placed upon a nodide ; the lower edge of this 

 baud is serrated as it were, and each of the teeth is marked 

 with a spot immediately under the upper spots, but more 

 dashed and somewhat less intense. The upper edge of 

 the lower band is marked in a similar manner, but the 

 spots are less defined. Above the shoulder of the body- 

 whorl is a band of similar colour, with its lower edge 

 dashed with markings of the same coloiur as those which 

 ornament the other bands, and at similar intervals. Two 

 similarly coloured spots appear below the third and fourth 

 nodule of the spire just above the suture of the body- 

 whorl, which sutm'e almost hides one below the second of 

 those nodules couutiug from the edge of the lip. Upper 

 part of the spu-al whorls coloured after the same pattern, 

 and brought out by the pale ground-colour of the lower 

 part. Apex yellowish-red." 



Duly inspired by the novelty of the specimen and its 

 lovely arrangement of colours, Mr. Broderip adds, " This 

 description will convey a very faint notion of one of the 

 most beautiful shells 1 ever saw." 



Fig. 4 b. 

 " Flesh-coloured, nodidous, lineated longitudinally with 

 close-set, red, somewhat undidated lines, mottled here and 

 there with white, gii-t by two interrupted rich red bands, 

 spire mottled with red and white, apex coral-red." 



The original specimen of the Portland Collection, now 

 in the British aiuseum, devoid of tubercles and painted 

 with large flakes of a dull brick-red colour. 



" Bluntly but highly nodulous on the back, the nodules 

 on the lower side rather sharper. Whitish, lineated longi- 

 tudinally with close-set undulated livid lines, blotched with 

 clouds and dashes of livid red. A broad pale band girts 

 the body-whorl below the midtUe. Apex reddish-white." 



November, 1849. 



