352 VELUTINID.E. 



scarcely to cnrvo it. The posterior or upper edge of the 

 acute outer lip is more archdl and elongated tlian the rest 

 (the opposite and subparallel margin is likewise produced) 

 sweeps gently downwards, but bends abruptly at its termi- 

 nation, which is rather below the middle of the shell. The 

 lips are connected by a thin enamel. No vestige of an 

 umbilicus is visible behind the pillar lip, which is thin, ver}'^ 

 narrowly reflected, and greatly receding. The edge of the 

 aperture is not on a level, but is somewhat incurved in the 

 middle, A fair-sized example measured almost the third 

 of an inch in length, and five lines and a half in breadth.* 

 AVe have twice been so fortunate as to take this remark- 

 able animal alive. It is of the brightest orange colour, and, 

 when brought out of the water had the aspect of a Pleuro- 

 bnaichus. The head is lunate and flanked by two hnear, 

 obtuse tentacula, set widely apart, and bearing rather large 

 eyes on prominent bulgings at their external bases. The 

 foot is oblong-, large but not steep-sided, truncated and an- 

 gulated in front, rounded behind. The mantle is largely 

 reflected on the shell, very tumid and pufty. The branchire 

 are pale red. The general orange hue of the body and 

 mantle is varied by yellou'ish opaque specks. When last 

 taken it was adhering to a stone in twenty-five fathoms in 

 Loch Fyne (M'Andrew and E. F,) ; we placed it in a 

 vessel of water, where it, to our surprise, preferred swim- 

 ming to creeping. The first time we met with it was in 

 twenty fotlioms, Stromness Bay, Orkney (J. Goodsir and 

 E. F.), It has been taken several times at Northumber- 

 land (Alder); and was originally found on the east coast 

 of Scotland by Cai)taiu Laskey, It ranges through the 

 Arctic Seas, 



* The IMijc corlucea of Pallas (Act. Petropol. 1784, vol. ii. pi. 7, f. 31,32, 

 33), a native of the Kurile Islands, approaches this strange Velutina (?) in most 

 of its characters, but attains to a coni))arative]y gigantic size. 



