314 REPORT ON ALBATROSS MOLLUSCA DALL. 



finer and almost linear anteriorly on the last whorl, and slightly coarser 

 again on the canal ; the interspaces are flattened, narrow, but always 

 wider than the grooves; there are also some flne, irregularly distributed 

 spiral striae; transverse sculpture of numerous little elevated, narrow, 

 slightly flexuous waves, which on the penultimate whorl extend from 

 the suture back to the constricted part, where they become obsolete; 

 on the last whorl they are more irregular, fainter, and barely pass the 

 periphery; in a perfectly adult shell they would probably be obsolete 

 on the last whorl ; these waves average somewhat less than two milli- 

 meters from crest to crest at their most prominent part a little behind 

 the periphery on the earlier whorls; the lines of growth are fine, regu- 

 lar, distinct under a lens and minutely decussate the spirals; aperture 

 narrow, pointed behind, rather wide in front, with no constriction for 

 the canal ; outer lip thin, slightly receding near the suture, not lirate 

 within ; inner lip slightly excavated, white, with a polished film of glaze 

 over the part from which the limy layer has been absorbed ; pillar 

 thin, sharp, nearly straight; canal wide, not differentiated; there is a 

 single prominent, fine, sharp plait just behind the edge of the pillar, 

 and a little further back two smaller subequal plaits closer to each 

 other than the anterior one of the pair is to the larger anterior plait; 

 all are very oblique. Longitude of shell, 36.5 ; maximum latitude, 14.5; 

 longitude of aperture, 19.5 ram . 



Hab.— Station 2791, in south latitude 38° 08', and west longitude 75° 

 53', oft the southwest coast of Chili, in 677 fathoms, mud; bottom tem- 

 perature 37°.9 F. 



This unique shell belongs to a group of which the other known repre- 

 sentatives appear to be extinct. Y. D' Orbignyana, V. Bomeylwana and 

 Y. gracilis Philippi, V. indurata Conrad as well as V. trvplicata Sowerby, 

 all from the tertiary strata of Chili and the western coast of America, 

 are members of it. The Valuta gracilis (Philippi, 1887 ; not of Lea, 1833, 

 or Swainson, 1842) is perhaps its nearest relative, and probably in a 

 large series would prove to be hardly specifically distinct. The name 

 gracilis being several times preoccupied, I have therefore applied the 

 name PhiUppiaiia to the present species, so that if future researches 

 should indicate it to be identical with the tertiary fossil the name will 

 extend to that also. It is intended as a slight compliment to Dr. Philippi, 

 of Santiago, whose labors for nearly three quarters of a century have so 

 much ameliorated malacology. 



The west American tertiary group in question may turn out to be, as 

 a whole, equivalent to but one species, in which case V. triplicata of 

 Sowerby was first described. But until I have seen specimens of the 

 various named forms, I would lay no stress on this observation sug- 

 gested by the rather indifferent figures. The present species appears, 

 more nearly than any other recent form, to represent the typical Yolu- 

 tilithes, while the Y. abyssicola is shown by Mr. Watson, from the adult 

 Challenger specimens, to be more nearly related to Lioderma Conrad. 



