506 PROCEEDINGS OF THE MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



This is the only usage of Pintadina I know of, and I see Scudder 

 has recorded it: it is a Avord very easih^ missed, yet Scudder has it, 

 and has not Spirafella, which is more prominently printed. I have 

 before complained of Scudder's peculiarities, and this accurate recording 

 of this name only serves to emphasize Ids untrustworthiness. Finding 

 this unemphasized name carefully included one would anticipate care- 

 fulness otherwise and be sadly misled. 



SoLECURTUS, Blainville. 



This genus name was proposed by Blainville in the Diet. Sci. Nat. 

 (Levrault), vol. xxxii, 1824, p. 351, who divided his genus into three 

 sections — 



A. & Soleciirtus radiatus, E. m., pi. 225, fig. 2. 



B. Fx S. stricfilatus, E. m., pi. 224, fig. 3. 



C. Ex S. Legumen, E. m., pi. 223, fig. 3. 



No type was designated, nor can one be determined by tautonymy. 

 The only way is that of subsequent designation. 



In the Manuel, 1825, the same matter is reproduced. In the 

 49th vol. of the Diet. Sci. Nat., 1827, the genus is again dealt 

 with by Blainville himself. A rearrangement is there effecteil, the 

 same three sections being recognized, but as equivalent to Section A 

 is noted " G. Silique, Megerle ", and S. kqumeti is here transferred. 

 The section Ji is retained for S. strigillatm, and a new species, 

 S. albiis. Under Section C a series of shells is includetl, among 

 which are S. carihceus, Lam., S. autiquatun, Mont., and S. tagal, 

 ex Adanson. No type is mentioned, so that this reconsideration is 

 merely of historical interest. 



In the Actes Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, No. 26, vol. v, March 15, 1832, 

 Desraoulius introduced the genus jlfalletia, and discussed its relation- 

 ships. On p. 88 Desmoulins wrote, " Solecurte de M. de Blainv., 

 en prenant pour type de ce dernier genre le S. strigilaltis (a)." In 

 the footnote (a) he gave his reasons for this selection, pointing out 

 that the examples otlierwise quoted by Blainville did not agree with 

 the generic diagnosis. This action was perfectly legitimate, but 

 further investigation showed that Deshayes had even anticipated him, 

 'for in the Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat., vol. xv, p. 482, May, 1829, that 

 worker wrote, " Ce sont ces motifs qui ont determine Blainville 

 a, proposer le demembrement du genre iiolen de Lamarck et d'en 

 extraire d'abord celui qu'il nomme Solecurte qui a pour type le Solen 

 st rig Hiatus y 



Tliere can be no argument that under the present rules the type of 

 Solecu7'tus, Blainville, is Solen strigilntiis. This note has been written, 

 as Dall, using elimination, arrived at quite a different result, and 

 fixing iS'. legumen as the type of Solecurtus, used Psammosolen for the 

 strigilatus group. He has been followed by Hedley, hut reversion to 

 the conventional usage is necessary. I at first thought that Sole- 

 ^nrfoii/es, Desmoulins, might have to displace Pharus, but I have 

 concluded tliat it will not be necessary to discard that name, and that 

 Solecnrtoides was rightly considered by Dall as a synonym of Siliqua, 

 Megerle. 



