MELVILL AND STANDEN : SHELLS FROM LIFU. 418 



became evident. Shells- new to us appeared every moment, 

 all minute, but all exquisite either in colour, design, or detail 

 of form. 



They could not all, of course, be called specimens in the 

 highest state of perfection, as in hardly any cases is the oper- 

 culum present, or traces of the animal, proving they had been 

 collected as recently thrown up drift, but in the majority of 

 instances, so far as the actual shells are concerned, they are 

 in as good as a living condition. 



We forthwith determined to lose no time, but devoted the 

 best part of five or six months to the elucidation of these little 

 forms. It was no slight labour to sort the material, but this was 

 effected more rapidly than we had considered possible ; and 

 that done, and the published literature on the subject well 

 examined, one or other of us took all the species about which 

 there was the least doubt for close comparison with the vast 

 collections of the British Museum, South Kensington, and it 

 is, we must admit, no mean task to take stock of what our 

 national stores possess in such genera as Rissoa, Odosto/nia, 

 or the Pleurotoniidcc. 



Very detailed investigation into the Philippine species was 

 carried out for comparison ; especial attention was also given 

 to Mauritian species, for although separated by nearly three 

 thousand miles in distance, there seems much of cognate char- 

 acter in the molluscan fauna of both these localities. Two 

 instances will suffice. The original type of Mitra fulvosuhata 

 Melvill, was collected in Mauritius ; it has been found common 

 in Lifu. And, secondly, we believe that Dr. Jousseaume's 

 original and hitherto unique type of Lienardia ocellata was 

 Mauritian ; we have found two (one of which we have sent 

 to the British Museum) of this most exquisite of all shells, 

 in our Lifu material. 



We had already drawn up descriptions of some forty 

 species, when Father J. Ilervier's first communication, enu- 

 merating several Pleurotomidce, from Lifu and New Caledonia, 



J.C., viii.j July, 1097. 



