PURPURA. 



Plate VIII. 



Species 34. (Fig. a, b, and c, Mus. Ciimiiig.) 



PuRPUE.^ HlPPOCASTAXUJi. Miir. testd ovntd spird bre- 

 viusculd, biterdimi snbelevatd, aiifraciihus superni hviter 

 angulatis, seriatim tuberculatis, tulercuUsfortibus, nunc 

 obtusis, )ium prominentihus, interareis impresso-striatis, 

 labro intus nodulom ; extus alh'idd, nhjerrimo plus mi- 

 nusve tinctd vel articulatd, columella et apertura fauce 

 purpureo-fusco radiatis. 



The hoese-chesnut Puepuea. Shell ovate, spire rather 

 short, sometimes a little elevated, whorls slightly an- 

 gidated round the upper part, encircled with rows of 

 tubercles, tubercles strong, sometimes obtuse, some- 

 times prominent, the interspaces being impressly 

 striated, lip noduled within ; exterior whitish, more 

 or less stained and articulated with jet black, colu- 

 mella and interior of the apertm-e radiated with pur- 

 ple-brown. 

 Murex hippocastamim, Linnaeus. 



Hab. Eastern Seas, South Seas, Zanzibar, &c. 



I cannot agree with the principle advanced by my 

 esteemed friend, M. Deshayes, in his observations on the 

 Purpura hippocastamim, to the effect that any species of Lin- 

 nseau origin should be abandoned that cannot be satisfac- 

 torily identified. The author of the ' Systema Naturae ' had 

 but a meagre range of antiquated figures to refer to for 

 the illustration of his species, and he lived in a time when 

 not only comparatively few shells had been discovered, but 

 when the greater portion were collected dead upon the 

 shore, and in very imperfect condition. The case before 

 us is merely one of those instances in which Linnfeus, from 

 the miscellaneous character of his materials, included 

 several species under one specific head. It was his mis- 

 fortune, in the present case, to refer to figures which have 

 proved to be the representatives of different species, one of 

 which in Rumphius' ' Thesam-us Imaginum ' PL 24. Pig. C. 

 a Purpura liystrix, is an error which appears to have es- 

 caped even the penetration of Lamarck. The reference 

 made by Linnaeus to Gualter's great figure of the Pyrula 

 galeodes (PL 31. Fig. F.) is probably a typographical error, 

 for a figm'e resembUng the shell under consideration, 

 occurs at PL 43. Fig. V. of the same work, as corrected by 

 Lamarck ; it is a serious reflection on the genius and dis- 

 crimination of the learned Professor of Upsal to imply that 

 he could have simidtaneously regarded the figures above 

 cited in Rumpliius and Gualter as the representatives of 



one and the same species. I think it is tolerably apparent 

 from the references of Linnffius, that he included the Pur- 

 pvrre liippocastanum, bitubercularis, and^ica mider one spe- 

 cific head {Murex liippocastarami), and confounded them 

 with a dorsal figure of the P. liystrix; of these names the 

 first has been assigned by Lamarck to the shell under 

 review, and, although some confusion has arisen amongst 

 natiu-alists, through one taking one type, and another se- 

 lecting another, it is manifest that to abandon all on the 

 principle advanced by M. Deshayes, would only lead to 

 confusion worse confoimded. 



The P. hippocastanmn is, perhaps, the most readily dis- 

 tinguished by a peculiarity in the an-angement of the coloui-- 

 ing matter, which is for the most part articulated in small 

 tessellated squares ranging between the engraved strife ; 

 there is, however, a dark variety represented at Fig. 34. a, 

 in which the articulation is lost in the overwhelming de- 

 posit of black colouring, in broad close concentric stripes. 



Species 35. (Mus. Metcalfe.) 



Puepuea luteostoma. Purp. testa oblongo-ovatd, trans- 

 versim undique striata, anfractibus superne angulatis, 

 infra seriatim tuberculatis, tuberctdis obtusis, interdum 

 fere obsoletis ; luteo-fuscescente, cinereo-nigricante lon- 

 gitudinaliter widaiim pictd, columella et aperturce 

 fauce rufo-aurantiis. 



The yellow-mouth Puepuea. Shell oblong-ovate, trans- 

 versely striated throughout, whorls angulated at the 

 upper part, encircled with rows of tubercles beneath, 

 which are obtuse, and sometimes nearly obsolete; 

 yellowish brown, painted with longitudinal waves of 

 ashy black, columella and interior of the aperture 

 reddish orange. 



Deshayes, Anim. sans vert. vol. x. p. 98. 



Bucciuum Inteostoma, Chemnitz, vol. xi. p. 83. pl.l87. 

 f. 1800, 1. 



Ilah. ? 



An interesting species, distinguished by its elevated spire 

 and blueish tinK of colour. 



Species 36. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Puepuea pica. Purp. testd oratu, crassiu^add, sidiven- 

 tncosd, anfractibus superne angulatis, infra biseriatim 

 tuberculatis, titberculis soUdis, prominentibus, siibdk- 

 tantihiis, apertur(e fauce striata ; nigra alboqiie con- 



August, 1846. 



