298 PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETr. 



problems. Consequently no family lias suffered to such an extent, 

 and the unparalleled confusion will only be dispelled by some 

 conchologist making a patient and long, almost lifelong, study of the 

 group. New species are commonly met with in almost every 

 collection, made in almost any locality. These new species are 

 elegant and beautiful in form, and compellingly demand description. 

 To correctly generically locate such would mean long, careful, and 

 slow work, and such has been consistently denied them. Almost 

 every recent worker deserves more or less blame ; I would scarce 

 except one, and would indicate myself as a probable additional 

 offender. For I also have new species to describe, and it is almost 

 certain as much confusion will be added as I hope to clear up. 

 Certain preliminary steps have, howevei", never been taken, and 

 these deserve notice, as no excuse can be ofPered save carelessness or 

 negligence. Kobelt (Icon. Europ. Meeresconch., vol. iii, pp. 233-80) 

 monographed the European forms, and though little care was taken 

 in connexion with the generic names utilized, Sykes (Proc. Malac. 

 Soc, vol. vii, pp. 173-90, 1906) perpetuated most of the errors, 

 though he was apparently aware of them. I will discuss these 

 matters more fully in another place. I note, however, in the Zool. 

 Record for 1912 that during that year Uall & Bartsch, Thiele, and 

 Dautzenberg & Fischer all made use of Bela. 



I have got together the data in connexion with this name as 

 follows : — 



Bela was first published by Gray as of the Leachian manuscript 

 of British shells in the Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. xx, p. 270 

 (October 1, 1847), where the species named read — 



Bela nebula. Murex, Mont. 

 r^lfa. 

 cranchii. 



minima. Buccinum, Mont. 



septanffularis. Murex, M. 



attennata. Murex, M, 



In the same place appears 



Buccinum turricula, Jlurex, M. 



In the Proc. Zool. Soc, 1847, p. 134, published the following 

 month. Gray designates as type Murex nebula. This introduction has 

 commonly been given as the earliest one. In the Leachian Synopsis 

 Moll. Great Britain, published by Gray in 1852 (preface dated 

 February 12), the same association of species appears as in the 

 Annals, 1847. In the Gen. Bee. Moll., vol. i, p. 92, June, 1853, 

 H. & A. Adams made use of Bela, as of Leach, citing as example 

 B. turricula, Montagu, and on p. 99 they quoted nebula as example 

 of Mangelia, Leach. Apparently from these authors dates the 

 misusage of Bela, wliich has persisted to the present day, though it 

 should be remarked that several workers have called attention to it. 

 As a comparatively recent one I would quote Harris, who, in the 

 Cat. Ter. Moll. Brit. Mus., pt. i, April-May, 1897, wrote (p. 60): 



