270 ekiDji;. 



especially on the last whorl, and the spirals are much less in 

 evidence, being not only much more minute, but more or less 

 obsolete. 



A specimen in the British Museum, acquired by purchase, from 

 Bombay and labelled B. fairhanki, I also refer to the present 

 species. 



240. Cerastus distans, Pfeiffer. 



Buliinus distans, Pfeiffer, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 331 ; ibid., Mon. Helic. 



Viv. iv, 1859, p. 409. _ 

 Buliminus {Cerastus) distans, von Martens, Die Heliceen, ed. 2, 



1860, p. 232 ; Kobelt, Oonch.-Cab., Fam. Buliminidae, 1902, 



p. 966. 

 Bulimina (Cerastus) distans, Pfeiffer & Clessin, Nomencl. Helic. 



Yiv. 1881, p. 286. 

 Cerastus distans. Kobelt & MoUendorff, Nachr. Deuts. Malak. Ges. 



1903, p. 40. 



Original description : — " T. compresse-umbilicata, ovato-conica, 

 tenuiuscula, costis subarcuatis, chordseformibus, subdistantibus 

 sculpta, subdiaphana, albida ; spira elevato-conica, obtusula ; 

 anfr. 7 convexi, ultimus 4 longitudinis subaequans, basi rotun- 

 datus ; columella prof unde subtorta ; apertura parum obliqua, 

 acuminato-subovalis ; perist. tenue, marginibus convergentibus, 

 dextro breviter expanso, columellari dilatato, patente. 



" Long. 22;^, diam. 10;^ mill. Ap. 10 mill, longa, 5| lata." 

 (Pfeifer.) 



Hah. India : Poena {Beddome). Karak I., Persian Gulf {Mus. 

 Cuming). 



The present species and C. diarhonnieri, both as from Karak 

 Island, in the Persian Gulf, wei'e described by Pfeiffer in the 

 same paper, being based upon specimens in the Cuming 

 collection. After a careful examination of the types of both, now 

 in the British Mnseum, I am unable to separate the two forms 

 specifically, the only differences between them being that char- 

 honnieri has one whorl less and is a smaller shell, its dimensions 

 being : length 15, diam. 8 mm. ; ap. 7 mm. long. 4*5 wide, while 

 the ribs are finer and more crowded. It can, at the most, be only 

 regarded as a variety. Prom C. ahyssinicus it differs in being of a 

 more solid texture, in having a more elongated spire, and in the 

 ribs being more crowded. 



Although Pfeiffer mentioned only the habitat Karak Island for 

 C distans, von Martens recorded the fact that Albers" collection 

 contained specimens labelled Malabar. Providing the latter term be 

 understood in its wider application, as in the case of C. malaharicus, 

 there would be no inherent improbability in its occurrence farther 

 north in India and I was, therefore, not surprised to find several 

 specimens from Poona in the Beddome collection which, although 

 erroneously labelled jerdoni, were absolutely undistinguishable 



