452 Zoological Society :— 
pairs of sternal plates, in the young specimen, and has a consider- 
able amount of mobility in the adult specimen. 
The shell is brown; the head is dark olive; the temple and the 
side of the neck pale-marbled ; underside of the limbs whitish. 
Wagler represents the anal shields of S. triporcatus as divided. 
In the large specimen in the British Museum they are united into a 
single rhombic shield, as in S. Salviniz. 
REMARKS ON A SPECIES OF SHELL BELONGING TO THE FAMILY 
DenTALiip&. By W. Bairp, M.D., F.L.S.; with Notes 
ON THEIR Use By THE Natives oF VANCOUVER’S ISLAND 
AND BritisH CotumstA, BY J. K. Lorp, F.Z.S. 
Amongst the objects of natural history and ethnology brought 
from Vancouver’s Island and British Columbia by Mr. Lord is a 
belt composed of numerous specimens of a species of Dentalium 
strung together. The species bears an exceedingly close resemblance 
to that described by Linnzeus as Dentalium entalis (Entalis vulgaris 
of Risso and of Dr. Gray’s ‘ Guide to Mollusca’), and appears to me, 
notwithstanding the difference of habitat, to be undistinguishable 
from that European species. It has, however, been described by 
the late Mr. Nuttall as Dentalium pretiosum ; and a figure has been 
given of it by Mr. Sowerby in one of his late Numbers of the ‘ The- 
saurus Conchyliorum.’ 
From a careful comparison of the typical specimens of D. pretio- 
sum in Mr. Cuming’s collection, there can be no doubt of the iden- 
tity of that species with the specimens brought by Mr. Lord from 
Vancouver’s Island; those in Mr. Cuming’s collection are said to be 
from California. In examining the old graves on the banks of the 
Columbia River, along with numerous other articles, such as human 
bones, flint instruments, &c., Mr. Lord found a number of specimens 
of a species of Dentalium considerably eroded and worn, which I 
have compared with some in Mr. Cuming’s collection, and find iden- 
tical with the Dentalium striolatum of Stimpson, from Newfound- 
land. I strongly suspect that both this species (D. striolatum) and 
D. pretiosum are only very slight varieties of the old Linnzean spe- 
cies Dentalium entalis (Entalis vulgaris). The habitats of all three 
(species?) are very different from each other; but, notwithstanding 
this, in the absence of distinct specific characters, I should hesitate 
very much in making distinct species of them. However that may 
be, the history of the specimens brought by Mr. Lord is very interest- - 
ing; and these few observations must be considered only as intro- 
ductory to the very instructive notes drawn up by that gentleman, a 
perusal of which will prove the best apology for these brief prelimi- 
nary remarks. 
Notes on the above, by Mr. J. K. Lord. 
It is somewhat curious that these shells (Zntalis pretiosus, Nut- 
tall, sp.; Entalis vulgaris?) should have been employed as money 
by the Indians of North-West America—that is, by the native tribes 
inhabiting Vancouver’s Island, Queen Charlotte’s Island, and the 
