A. BE. Verrill— Catalogue of Marine Mollusea. 459 
without examining the animal, but it certainly would generally have 
been possible for malacologists to have determined the sex of such 
individuals as have been dissected for the odontophore, but even this 
much has not often been done, in the past. I regret that, in order to 
use the most perfect shells, [ have been obliged to figure some of the 
shells, on the accompanying plates, from dried specimens of unknown 
sex. I have, however, determined the sex, whenever possible, by 
dissection. 
I have often observed egg-capsules attached to the shells of 
several of our species of Bela, which probably belong to these 
species. The capsules are translucent, solitary, circular, convex, or 
even hemispherical, and attached by the flat side, which is sw- 
rounded by a narrow, thin border. ‘They are from 1 to 2™ in 
diameter. I have never found them with the young sufficiently 
developed for determination. 
Bela hebes Verrill. 
Bela hebes Verrill, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., iii, p. 367, 1880. 
Puate LVII, FIGURE 7. 
Shell short-fusiform or subovate, with a short, blunt spire, and with 
five or six convex, but slightly angled or carinated whorls, which 
have a slightly flattened subsutural band; suture impressed and 
slightly channelled. Sculpture numerous small, regular, raised, 
spiral ridges, separated by wider grooves; usually one, just below 
the subsutural band, is stronger and more raised, forming a slight 
carina; on the subsutural band they are faint, or indistinct. The 
spiral lines are often decussated, more or less, by equally slender, 
transverse, raised riblets, coincident with the lines of growth, but not 
uniformly present; these may produce a slightly cancellated struc- 
ture, on all the whorls, and extend as curved riblets, across the sub- 
sutural band. The nuclear whorls are not preserved in any of my 
specimens. Aperture short, narrow-ovate. Outer lip expanded be- 
low the suture, then regularly rounded, thin; the posterior sinus is 
broad and shallow; canal very short and rather broad, straight ; 
columella sigmoid, regularly incurved. Epidermis thin, greenish 
white. 
Length, 8""; breadth, 5™"; length of aperture, 5"; its breadth, 
1:80"; length of body-whorl, front side, 6°35"". The largest speci- 
men is 9™™ long ; 5°5™™ broad. 
Off Newport, R. I., 1880; stations 880, 891 and 892, in 282 to 500 
fathoms ; five specimens. Animal not observed. 
TRANS. Conn. Acap., VOL. V. 55 May, 1882, 
