526 BULLIDiE. 



Tliis pretty mollusk inhabits sandy gronnil, and ranges 

 from the verge of low water to as deep as sixty and more 

 fathoms. It is distributed through all the provinces of the 

 British seas. It ranges from the coasts of Norway to the 

 Mediterranean. It dates its history from the coralline 

 crag epoch. 



SPURIOUS? 



Voluta lieteroclita, Mont. Test. Brit. Suppl. p. 1 69. — Laskey, Mem. Werner. 



Soc. vol. i. pi. 8, f. 12. — TuRT. Conch. Diction, p. 254. 

 Acteon „ Fleming, Brit. Animals, p. o'dl. 



Auricula „ Brit. Marine Conch, p. 146. 



Of this curious shell, the true generic position of which is 

 doubtful, we have seen but a single specimen, the example origi- 

 nally figured by Laskey and described by Montagu ; which was 

 purchased at the sale of the former's collection by Professor 

 Forbes. It is of a narrow elongated-oblong shape, is subcylin- 

 draceous, yet gradually attenuated towards the blunt-topped 

 apex, is not very thin nor transparent, and is both within and 

 without of an uniform ivory white. The surface is smooth and 

 glossy, but this may be the effect of attrition, as there are indis- 

 tinct traces of numerous wrinkles of increase. The whorls are 

 sinistral, nearly eight in number, and although not flat, yet so 

 little convex as to merely overlap each other at the oblique and 

 clearly defined, though simple, suture ; the earlier ones are very 

 short, and moderately tapering ; the lower ones scarcely taper at 

 all, but are of moderate longitudinal increase. The body, which 

 is not at all ventricose, is about equal in length to the spire ; it 

 is attenuated below, with a rounded basal declination. The 

 oblique aperture is of an extremely narrow pear-shape, being 

 somewhat rounded below, and very gradually and acutely con- 

 tracted above. The outer lip, which is simple, acute, convex 

 above, and arcuated below, where it recedes anteriorly, is not at 

 all prominent. The inner lip, whose course is a little convex 

 above, and somewhat incurved below, is narrowly and appressly 

 reflected ; it is furnished rather below the middle with a single 

 y^ry strong curved horizontal tuothlike fold ; the pillar is sub- 



