FULOORARIA. 85 



Reeve says, " I quite agree with Mr. Sowerby in the propriety 

 of abandoning the (earlier Linnrean) name Lapponica given to 

 this species, indicating a country and climate in which such 

 a moUusk could not by any possibility exist. Instead of inhabit- 

 ing the Arctic shores of Lapland, it is a native of the seas of 

 tropical India. The error did not, however, originate with 

 Linnaeus. The species was known before his time to Dutch 

 naturalists, as the Lapphoorm or Lajyphoren, signifying the Flap- 

 Ear or Dog's-Ear Shell. This seems to have been corrupted into 

 Ailee Laponne^Alata Lapponica^ Voluta Lapponica, sm^ Meuschen 

 and Rumphius compounded the name Laplandsche Lapphoorn. 

 It onlj^ remains a matter of wonder that, whilst Seba described the 

 species as an exotic shell from India, the error should have 

 remained so long unexplained." 



V. VEXiLLUM, Lam. PI. 31, fig. 153. 



Flesh-color, with distant orange revolving bands, and some- 

 times narrower intermediate ones ; occasionally the surface is 

 longitudinally clouded with orange in addition to the above 

 specific pattern. Length, 3-4 inches. 



Indian Ocean. 

 Sect. 3. Fulgoraria, Schumacher. 



Shell oblong-fusiform ; spire moderately elongated, terminated 

 by a papillary summit with the apex lateral, instead of central 

 and vertical as usual in spiral shells ; surface plicate longitudin- 

 ally, crossed by engraved revolving lines ; columellar plaits six 

 or seven, or more ; lip thickened within, its margin slightly 

 crenulate. 



The swollen bead-like apex, the initial whorl of which is lateral, 

 is a curious feature of this group, which may indicate some 

 important difference in the development of the mollusk — which is 

 so far unknown to science. 



V. RUPESTRis, Grmelin. PL 24, figs, 41, 42. 



Yellowish flesh-color, with zigzagged longitudinal chestnut 

 lines ; interior flesh-color. Length, 3-6 inches. 



China, Japan. 



V. Hamillei, Crosse (fig. 41), is described from a large, yet 

 immature specimen of V. rupestris, as indicated by Lischke in 

 his work on the Japanese Mollusca. 



