SuTER. — On New Zealand Molluscan Fauna. 269 



13. Chione stutchburyi, Gray. 

 Venericardia zelandica, Potiez and Michaucl, Gal. des Moll., 



vol. ii. 1844, p. 166. 



Mr. C. Hedley pointed out* that the description of Potiez 

 and Michaud was evidently meant for Chione stutchhuryi. Gray. 

 As the species of the French authors has, as far as I know, never 

 been figured, I sent a perfect specimen of C. stutchburyi to the 

 museum of Douai, where the type of V. zelandica is kept. The 

 curator, Mr. E. Gossehn, most courteously sent me excellent 

 photos of the type and my own specimen for comparison. The 

 only difference is in the sculpture, my specimen being younger 

 and perfect, whereas the Douai type shows the sculpture less 

 perfect, such as we usually find the species in muddy sand 

 bottom. I am very glad to thus be able to confirm Mr. 

 Hedley' s opinion. 



14. Venerupis carditoides, Lamarck. 



V. exotica, Lam., is the same, and has priority. 



The Eev. Mr. Webster's Ust of " Shells to be added to Fauna 

 List "f (with locality only, no other information given) contains 

 the above species, locality Takapuna. I am fully convinced 

 that Webster is mistaken, though I have not seen his specimen. 

 For years and years collecting has been going on at Takapuna 

 leef, yet there is no record that this species, which inhabits the 

 shores of Tasmania and southern Australia, has ever been found 

 there, or in any other part of New Zealand; and the species is 

 not so small that it might be easily overlooked — in fact, it is much 

 larger than any of the New Zealand species of the genus. I am 

 pretty sure that if Webster examines his specimen carefully he 

 wdll find it to be Tafes costata, Q. and G. Shoidd it, however, 

 prove to be the species he mentions, then it is simply a dropped 

 shell. It is not a very rare occurrence to find foreign shells 

 dropped on our shores ; in some instances they may be ballast 

 shells. One of the most striking instances may be mentioned 

 here. A specimen of the African fresh-water genus Lanistes 

 was found on the bank of the River Avon, near New Brighton, 

 and sent to England. Mr. H. A. Forbes, Liverpool, asked me 

 to look out for this shell in the River Avon, but I did not, 

 being already fully acquainted with the molluscan life of that 

 river. 



In my opinion, V. carditoides should not be added to oui 

 fauna list. 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxxviii, p. 73. 

 t Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxxvii, p. 280. 



