32 Mr. Swainson on the Characters 
longitudinal shades of deep chestnut, broken into rows of angulated 
whitish spots of various sizes, and disposed in a longitudinal di- 
rection. The spire is white, with a few brown undulated lines on 
the lower whorls; the inner lip yellowish white, and the throat or 
inner aperture golden yellow. 
This shell, as far as regards English collections is unique. It 
is now in the possession of Mr. Mawe, I believe, and in all proba- 
bility may be found to inhabit the Indian Ocean. 
The Vol. luteostoma of Chemnitz,(a shell passed over by Lamarck, 
and all systematic writers,) bears a strong resemblance to this spe- 
cies, but I have many doubts if it be really the same. In this 
genus, the form and sculpture of the terminal whorls of the spire, 
afford the most certain specific distinctions; now in the V. luteos- 
toma, these terminal whorls are represented as graduating to an 
obtuse point, whereas in the shell above described, they are very 
thick and papillary. V. duteostoma is stated to be “* subperforata,” 
but this V. chrysostoma bears not the slightest indications of such 
a character, neither is the description, ‘‘ anfractibus cinctis nodis 
conicis,” applicable, if intended for the latter species. On the other 
hand, the two shells agree in their general form, habit, the golden 
colour of their apertures, and nearly the pattern of their markings. 
I have preferred however, for the present, to keep them distinct ; 
because every conchologist must be sensible, more perplexity has 
been introduced into the science, by creating too few species than 
too many. 
Votuta GRACILUS. 
V. testa oblongo-fusiformi, lineis undulatis picta ; spira producta 
plicata; labio exteriore subreflexi; columella 4 plicata. 
Shell oblong-fusiform, with undulated lines; spire lengthened, 
plaited ; outer lip sub-reflected; pillar 4 plaited. 
DerscriPrion. 
This is a most elegant shell, belonging to the same group as that 
filled by V. undulata and its allies; from all of which it may at 
once be known by the great prolongation of its spire, which is 
nearly the length of its aperture. The whole shell does not exceed 
