——— 
me a mee 
EXPEDITION TO SOKOTRA: NEW SPECIES. 13 
expanso, columellari incrassato, minus reflexo. Diam., maj., 8 millim. ; 
min., 64; alt., 5. 
Habitat. Abd-el-Kuri, 800-1500 feet. 
Quite distinct, although very closely allied to L. sowleyetiwnum, and differ- 
ing chiefly in the form of the aperture and the operculum. It is extremely 
variable in size, ranging from 10-7 millim. in diameter. 
—————————— 
Cast-Metal Work from Benin. 
In the Bulletin of the Free Museum of Science and Art of the University of 
Pennsylvania, for January, 1899 (Vol. IL, p. 28), Mr. H. L. Roth, in an 
article on Personal Ornaments from Benin, remarks:—‘“ Dr. Forbes (Bulletin 
of Liverpool Museums, I, p. 59), in describing the spots of a [large bronze | 
leopard [in the Mayer Museum, which is figured on page 58 of Vol. I] says 
they are filled in with a * yellow porcellaneous glass or enamel’ ; if such be 
the case, the Bini must have had a knowledge of the making of enamel ; but 
I think further inquiry will prove that the insets in the leopard’s spots are 
glass.” Great care was taken to correctly describe the specimens under 
review in the article referred to by Mr. Roth. I have, however, again care- 
fully inspected this very fine example of Benin art in our Museum, and am 
able to say that the insets in the leopard’s spots were quite accurately de- 
scribed as *‘porcellaneous glass or enamel,” in the usual sense of the substance 
being a variety of glass in various colours applied in ornament to cover a 
metal or pottery surface. 
In the Reliquary also, for July, 1898, the same author, in Notes on Benin 
Art, seems to question my accuracy in describing the surface of much of the 
metal work in our Benin collection as being chiselled over and carefully 
smoothed. “With one exception,” he writes, “I have failed to trace any 
filing. The one exception is on a Tusk-holder (?) in the possession of Miss 
M. H. Kingsley. The article is unfinished in so far as some circular surfaces 
are concerned, and here what may possibly be rasp marks, are observable, 
but they may be marks in the castings left rough because the original idea 
was to enchase them. Even in the most highly finished objects I have not 
been able to find any such marks, and it appears to me the finished appear- 
ance is due to the excellence of the casting . . -3 80 well are the Bini 
objects cast that there is apparently no other finishing.” Iam now able to 
state that I have re-examined the specimens to which Mr. Roth here refers, 
and can only confirm what is stated in the paper he has quoted from—that 
“all four figures have been most accurately finished with the punch and 
chaser, and their surface finally very carefully smoothed.” Indeed, where the 
work has not been so treated, but remains as it came out of the mold, it is 
often far from smooth. 
Mr. Roth has an interesting article in the Halifax Naturalist, for June, 
1898, in which he describes and figures, among several Benin art objects, two 
which have been added to the Mayer collection since the publication of my 
paper in this Bulletin (Vol. I. p. 49). They were purchased from Mr. Lida 
Roth, who was one of the medical officers of the punitive expedition against 
Benin in 1897. Of the first of these Mr. Roth writes :— 
“Jt will doubtless be remembered that when the punitive expedition 
arrived in Benin city, several pits were found full of dead and dying human 
beings, most of whom had been sacrificed as a fetish to prevent the entry of 
the British. From one of these pits there was taken, amongst others, a native 
carrier, a Kru boy, who had been captured at the massacre of Vice-Consul 
Phillip’s party. This lad was found to be in a very emaciated condition, and 
