ASPERGILLUS! 



Plate II. 



Species 4. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Aspergillum Strangei. Asp. testa adheerente, fusces- 

 cente-earneo tincta, valvis subquadrato-ovatis, postice 

 latioribus, subangulari-expansh ; vagina brevi, distortd, 

 quadrato-rotundatd, ad angulas quatuor obtuse cari- 

 natii ; fimbria discoque lateraliter compressissime dis- 

 tortis, perforationibus perpaucis, irregulariter sparsis, 

 parum tubulosis. 



Strange's Aspergillum. Shell adherent, fuscous flesh- 

 tinted, valves somewhat squarely ovate, posteriorly 

 broader, and rather angularly expanded ; sheath short, 

 distorted, squarely rounded, obtusely keeled at the 

 four angles ; frill and disc laterally very compressly 

 distorted, perforations very few, irregularly scattered, 

 but little tubular. 



Adams, Pro. Zool. Soc. 1852, p. 91. 

 Mumphreyia Sirangei, Gray. 



Ilab. Sydney Bay, Australia ; Strange. 



If the animal of this very interesting form of Asper- 

 gillum could speak, its remarks on Dr. Gray's ingenious 

 description of its structure, habits, and shell, would pro- 

 bably resemble those of our great landscape painter, Turner, 

 on the criticisms of his pictures by Ruskin, — " Ah ! he 

 sees a great deal more in them than I can, or ever in- 

 tended should be seen." While Mr. Arthur Adams, the 

 original describer of the species, says perhaps too little 

 about it, Dr. Gray says too much. The peculiarities of 

 Aspergillum Sirangei are, that it is an adherent species, 

 and secondly, that it forms its sheath in a square. Like 

 the shells of all adherent species of a genus, compared 

 with those that live free, the shell of A. Sirangei has a 

 very distorted growth, and the part of attachment being 

 the most delicate part of the shell, is the part most dis- 

 torted. One of the only two specimens known, has, on 

 ceasing its free habit, commenced to attach itself within 

 the hinge portion of a muscle, the other has been attached 

 to stone in a manner obviously even less commodious 

 to the symmetry of its growth ; and many of the points 

 seized by Dr. Gray as points of generic character, are 

 contortions arising out of these peculiar circumstances of 

 habitation. The disc is smashed in, as it were, and the 

 frill is pushed out at the edge of the place of attachment, 

 and both are an irregular heap of contortion. Dr. Gray 

 says that " the tube at the end of the shell is an extension 

 of the normal shellv valves of the animal;" but it is not 



more so than in all other Aspergilla. Dr. Gray argues 

 that the shelly tube of the non-adhering species of Asper- 

 gillum is analogous to the shelly tube of Teredo. I incline 

 to think, however, that the tube of Aspergillum is as much 

 an extension of the normal shelly valves in any species as 

 in the one before us. There is no more definite outline 

 internally to the valves of the other Aspergilla than of 

 this. The animal of A. Sirangei is not known. 



Species 5. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Aspergillum semifimbriatum. Asp. testa valvis sub- 

 late ova/is, postice subangulatis, vagina tumidiusculd, 

 scepe distortd, in/erne contractu ; fimbria suberectd, tu- 

 bulis subelongatis, dicholomis ; disco parviuscido, per- 

 forationibus simjilicibus. 



The half-frilled Aspergillum. Shell with the valves 

 rather broadly ovate, slightly angled posteriorly; 

 sheath rather swollen, often distorted, contracted at 

 the lower end ; frill somewhat erect, with the tubes 

 rather long and forked ; disc rather small, perfora- 

 tions simple. 



Chenu, lllus. Couch. Asp. p. 4. pi. 3. f. 5, 5 a. 



Ilab. ? 



Of this species I can only give a description and figure, 

 without comment, of the single specimen, not in very 

 good condition, named by Dr. Chenu, in Mr. Cuming's 

 collection. 



Species 6. (Mus. Cuming.) 



Aspergillum Delessertianum. Asp. testa valvis ob- 

 longo-ovatis, coucentrice tenuissime lirato-s/ria/is, pos- 

 tice angulatis ; vagina longissimd, subrectd, minute 

 arenald, limbo ad superam extremitatem trifariam ad 

 octofariam foliato ,■ fimbria brevi, tubulis subamplis. 

 tumidis ; disco per amplo, convexo, perforationibus am- 

 plis. 



Delessert's Aspergillum. Shell with the valves ob- 

 long, concentrically very finely ridge-striated, pos- 

 teriorly slightly angled ; sheath very long, nearly 

 straight, minutely sandy, lip at the upper extremity 

 thrice to eight times foliated ; frill short, tubes rather 

 large and swollen ; disc very large, convex, with the 

 perforations large. 



June, 1SG0. 



