19 



February 27, 1844. 



Professor Owen in the Chair. 



The Secretary read Communications from G. W. A. Drummond 

 Hay, Her Majesty's Consul- General at Tangier, and Capt. Fayrer, 

 H.M.S. 'Tenedos,' Bermuda (both Corresponding Members) ; the 

 latter vvas accompanied by two specimens of the Strix Nyctea, which 

 Capt. Fayrer presented to the Society. 



Mr. Loveli Reeve described seven new species of Glauconome, a 

 gernis of fiuvio-raarine Mollusks of the family Solenacea. 



The genus Glauconome was introduced some years since by Mr. J. 

 E. Gray in bis ' Spicielegia Zoologica,' with the description of a single 

 species coUected by John Reeves, Esq. in China. Another species 

 appears to have been described by the great author of the ' Systema 

 Naturse' under the title of Solen vii-ens, the original examples of 

 ■vvhich are still preserved in the coUection of the Linnsean Society ; 

 and I have now the pleasure of exhibiting seven new species, \vhich 

 by their characters and habits add materially to the generic import- 

 ance of the group. 



The Glauconomes are of a light semi-perlaceous structure, covered 

 •vvith a thin light greea horny epidermis, ^bich in some species is 

 very peculiarly wrinkled or shrivelled, and inflected over the margin, 

 and their hinge is composed of three irregular forked teeth in each 

 valve, some of \vhich are generally bifid. They live in brackish 

 water (in the mud) in the mouths of rivers at their confluence with 

 the Sea, and have only been found as yet in the Eastern hemisphere. 

 Out of nine species vvith which we are no\v acguainted, the localities 

 of eight are kno\vn to be as follows : one inhabits the rivers of China ; 

 one the Ganges and probably other rivers of India ; three inhabit 

 certain rivers running into the bay of Manila ; and three, certain 

 small rivers in the islands of Zebu, Negros and Luzon, of the Phi- 

 lippines ; the lašt sis having been coUected in those particular locali- 

 ties by H. Cuming, Esq. 



The place selected by Mr. Gray for the genus Glauconome in the 

 natūrai system w'as in bis family of the Veneridee ; it appears to me, 

 however, to exhibit a much stronger affinity with the Solenacea ; in 

 my arrangement in the ' Conchologia Systematica,' I referred it to 

 that family, and I am happy to say that the propriety of this re- 

 moval has been subsequently confirmed. 



The following are descriptions of the seven new species : — 



1. Glauconome rugosa. Glauc. testo, elongato-ohlongd, nigosd, 

 circiter umbones plūs minusve erosd, laterihus rotundatis ; epider- 

 mide peculiariler corrugatd, latere postko subobsolcle angulato, 



Conch. Icon. pi. 1. f. 4. « and b. 



c 2 



