142 SYCOTYPUS, 



readily distinguished by the above characters and by its narrower, 

 more elongated form, long canal, etc. The coloring is usually 

 quite vivid in young specimens, and is frequently interrupted by 

 the interposition of a median, broad, white, revolving band. 



Length, 6-12 inches. 



Florida. 



Has been united with F. carica by several authors, and I am 

 not nearh' so certain as I once was that it is distinct ; it is pos- 

 sibly only a variety, yet it does not seem to merge into the 

 carica form. Pyrida coarctatus., Sowerb}' (fig. 393), said to occur 

 in Florida, is this species, almost certainly. 



Subj^ciuis Sycotypus (Biownu) Gill. 



I do not consider Browne's description sufficiently characteris- 

 tic to meet the requirements of a diagnosis; moreover, these 

 shells arc not even now known to inhabit Jamaica, (lill's diag- 

 nosis is, of course, accurate and exhaustive ; but it mainly repeats 

 the characters of Fulgur : the real ditt'orence is in the canalicu- 

 latcd sutures and ciliated periostracum. The distinction of 

 "spinous" for Banycon or Fiihjur^ and " tuberculated " for 

 Hycoljijinii is of little importance generically, as the Fulgurs a 

 frequently only tuberculate when 3^oung and become spinous 

 with advancing age ; moreover, the miocene series serve to con- 

 nect the two groups in this respecl . Under these circumstances 

 I judge it better to make Si/cofi/piis a sul)genus only, under 

 Ful<jin\ 



Mr. T. A. C^onrad* attenqds to distinguish tlu' embryos of 

 Sycofypus from tliosc of Fuhjur by the bitter having a long fissure 

 parallel with the columella, wliilst the ('(iliiinelhir region of the 

 former is entire. Mi'. Conrad's speciineiis. wliieh arc; before nn', 

 and which I saw iiini cxlriiel IVoiii the pouches, certiiinly show 

 this diirfrcnce, but 1 h;ive since iiad occasion to exnmine the 

 embrj'os of Fuh/iir several times, and from ditferenl strings of 

 pouciies, none of wliich show llicslil cojiiiiu'll;! : liic cimracter was 

 probably i)athological. 



* Am. Jour. Conch. Ill, 182. 



i 



