8 NOHTIITA. 



fasciole ; aperture rlioiiilto-ovate, oblong; labnini entire, not sinnons, 

 smooth within ; cohmielUi inversely sigmoidal, concave near the middle, 

 with a very thin callous deposit and with a revolving linear plait in front. 



Tertiary, United States and France. 



Dr. Gill refeis his genus to the family Buccinidae, but I agree with the 

 late Mr. ("onrad that his description indicates las do the types cited) 

 Nassae. 



P. ALTiMs, Conrad. PI. 3, fig. 28. Miocene, Virginia. 



P. SCALASPIRA, Conrad. PI. ?>. lig. 20. Miocene, Virginia. 



Subgenus Paranassa, Conrad. Differs from PtycJiosalpinx in the 

 subniargin of the labrum being slightly thickened within and striate ; 

 siphonal canal shorter. Eocene, Miocene, America and Europe. 



P. GRANIFERA, Cour.* I'l. o, fig. 30. Virginia. 



Subgenus Tritiaria, Conrad. Elongated, subturrited, labrum not 

 thickened within. This does not seem to difter generically from the tiuc 

 Nassas ; it has very little resemblance to Ptj/rhoxalpinx. 

 T. peralta; Com-ad. PI. 3, fig. 31 . Miocene, Virginia. 



[BuLLiOPSis, Conrad. Placed by its author at first as a subgenus of 

 Nassa, it was subsequently removed by him to ]\Ielanopsidie. It has some 

 '•esemblance to Bullia.] 



(Jcnus NORTHIA, (^niy. 



The animal of this genus is univnown, but the operculum has 

 1)een figured by H. and A. Adams, in their " Genera." The 

 shell is in its general aspect much closer to Fiii>ionella in the 

 family Terebridae than to the genera with which it is here (and 

 has been heretofore) associated; the variceal thickening at or 

 near the onter lip, is however, a featnrc which does not obtain in 

 the Terel)rida?. Pusionella, moreover, has a concentric oper- 

 culum, with its nncleus near the middle of the inner margin. 

 Perhaps the figured operculum of XortJu'a is abnormal ; 

 it has that appearance. I think that if these shells had not 

 been assigned to the Nassida} or to any other family', I would 

 have placed them in Terebrida^ : as- it is, I prefer to allow them 

 to remain here, rather than possibly c()nii)licate the subject ))y 

 changing their position. 



■ As one of the two siiecimcns of the type of Paranassa is striate 

 within the aperture, while the other is smooth, probably the distinction 

 from Ptychosalpinx will not hold good. 



