HARPA.— Plate I. 



vidly crossed with a number of clear, black, hair-like 

 lines, and the interstices, instead of exhibiting that bold 

 festooned pattern which is common to the Harpee ven- 

 tricosa, conoidalis, and articularis, are ornamented with 

 narrow equidistant fillets of curved brown and white. 

 The shell is moreover highly characterized by the ap- 

 pearance of one or two large square crimson spots. 



The specimen represented at Fig. 1 b, collected by 

 Mr. Cuming at the above-mentioned locality, has a rich 

 purple hue ; that at Fig. 1 c is an excellent example of a 

 lighter tint, in the cabinet of Miss Steere, an intel- 

 ligent collector of Cyprtete, Murices, and other popular 

 genera ; and the specimen figured at Fig. 1 a is selected 

 from the very choice Harp collection of Mr. Townley, 

 on account of the breadth and determined character of 

 the ribs. 



Species 2. (Fig. a, Mus. Cuming; Fig. b and c, Mus. 

 Stainforth ; Fig. d, Mus. Townley.) 



Harpa ventricosa. Harp, testa ovato-veutricosd; costis 

 latis, angulato-compressis, plus minusve numerosis, 

 purpureo-rubro maculato-tinctis, interstitiis lineis spa- 

 diceo-fuscis, regulariter arcuatis, vivide pictis ; colu- 

 melld perpolitd, maculis grandibus nigerrimo-fuscis 

 ornatd; aperturd amplissimd.fauce cameolo purpureo- 

 que variegatd. 



The ventricose Harp. Shell ovately ventricose ; ribs 

 broad, angularly compressed, more or less numerous, 

 stained with flesh-colour and square spots of pur- 

 ple-red, interstices vividly painted with regular 

 festoons of reddish brown ; columella very highly 

 enamelled, ornamented with one or two dark brown 

 blotches ; aperture very large, variegated with light 

 flesh-colour and purple. 



Lamarck, Anim. sans vert., vol. vii. p. 255. 

 Cithara major, Klein, Martini. 

 Buccinum harpa, Linnasus. 

 Buccinum harpa, var. a, Bruguiere. 



Testa peradolescens. 



Shell very young. 



Harpa striata, Lamarck. 



Hah. Mauritius (found in sand, in rocky places). 



The most conspicuous feature in this species is the 

 sharp angular compression of the ribs, and I regard it 

 as being perfectly distinct from either of the species re- 

 ferred to it as varieties by Deshayes ; namely the Harpa 

 conoidalis, articularis, or imperialis. The specimen repre- 

 sented at Fig. 2 d. is one of immature growth, but in a 

 much more advanced state than that described by La- 

 marck under the name of Harpa striata. I shall speak of 

 the decided specific dissimilitude between the Harpee ven- 

 tricosa and imperialis in my observations on that species. 



