20 
shell ring. From this it is known as the ring shell. In some 
places the lips, bleached to a perfect whiteness, come ashore in 
great numbers, the more delicate body of the shell having been 
broken to pieces among the rocks. These rings are sometimes seen 
strung together as ornaments. The lip does not form till the 
shell has attained its full growth, and though the shell is fairly 
common in the North Island, it is rare in the South. It is edible, 
and much esteemed by some people. The Maori name is Kaikai 
karoro, which is also the name for the Chione costata (Plate VIIL., 
Fig. 26), and the Mactra aequilatera (Plate VIII., Fig 10). It 
is also called Tote rere. 
STRUTHIOLARIA VERMIS (Plate IV.).—Fig. 5 is smaller 
than the Struthiolaria papulosa, which it resembles in its habits 
of growth. It is a pale brownish or yellowish shell, usually with- 
out nodules; and on the edge of each whorl nearest to the spire 
is a groove, as shown in the plate. The best Struthiolaria papulosa 
are found in the clean sandy margins of tidal channels, but their 
burrowing habits make them difficult to detect. I have never 
found the Struthiolaria vermis except cast up on ocean beaches, 
and it is comparatively rare. The Struthiolaria family, which 
derives its name from Struthio, an ostrich, as its mouth is sup- 
posed to be shaped like an ostrich’s foot, is found only in New 
Zealand, Australia, and Kerguelen’s Land. The Maori name is 
Takai. 
EUTHRIA LINEATA (Plate IV.).—Fig. 6 (late Pisania 
lineata) is a solid, heavy shell, varying from grey to brown, and 
the lines shown in the plate are almost black. It is sometimes 
one and a-half inches long, and is found under stones and rocks. 
The colours vary very much, and the lines, in number and breadth, 
vary even more. 
EUTHRIA FLAVESCENS (Plate IV.).—Fig. 9 (late Pisania 
flavescens) is a whitish or orange variety, with very pale markings, 
and much smaller than the Euthria lineata. 
EUTHRIA VITTATA (Plate IV.).—Fig. 10 (late Pisania 
vittata) is a yellowish-brown shell, with broad brown bands. An- 
other variety of the Euthria is somewhat like the Cominella lurida 
(Plate IV., Fig. 7) in shape and size. Another, the Euthria 
littorinoides, is an orange-brown shell, but the interior of the 
aperture is a pale flesh-colour. In other respects, it is like the 
Euthria lineata. It is very difficult to draw any distinct line of 
demarcation between the varieties of this variable shell. 
