VO l889. U '] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 315 



V. Philippiana aud its fossil precursors represent a step iu tbe line of 

 descent from the Cretaceous forms of VoluUdw toward Scaphella and 

 Aurinia as well as Voluta proper. Scaphella is probably descended 

 from older representatives of tbe present group, wbile Voluta proper 

 came tbrougb tbe line of forms like Lyria, so abundant in tbe Eocene. 

 It is true tbat tbe present species is not spinose at tbesboulder like tbe 

 types of tbe genus, but even tbose are frequently smootb, aud tbe 

 Obiliau and Oregoniau fossils are frequently nodose and almost spiny 

 at tbe shoulder. 



The soft parts of this species were preserved. The exterior of the 

 body is of a yellowish color and, as contracted in alcohol, rather ru- 

 gose; the foot is moderately pointed behind, in front auriculated at the 

 corners and double-edged ; there is no operculum or rudiment of an 

 opercular gland; tbe head is wide, with rather long, rounded, moder- 

 ately stout tentacles with an expansion at the outer bases, but no eyes 

 in the specimen before me. The siphon is long and has an appendix 

 near its base on each side of tbe gutter ; tbe gill and ospbradium are 

 as usual ; the anus is simple, not free or prominent ; near it are a pur- 

 puriferous and a large slime-gland, on the dome of the mantle; the 

 verge is small, clavate, with a smaller conical tip, not flattened, about 

 as long as one of the tentacles but thicker. It is situated immediately 

 behind the right tentacle. 



The characters of tbe group as far as can be judged from present 

 data are as follows : Shell transversely ribbed and spirally striated ; 

 nucleus minute, not conspicuously differentiated from tbe immediately 

 succeeding whorls ; plaits few, moderate, oblique; animal devoid of an 

 operculum and blind. 



Scaphella proper has a membranous larval shell aud a styliferous nu- 

 cleus, and the surface of tbe adult is usually smooth ; Fulgoraria has a 

 similar or at least a swollen mam miliary nucleus and spirally striated 

 and ribbed, whorls with strong plaits. 



A careful study of the nuclei iu well preserved recent and fossil Vol- 

 uUdw will do much toward elucidating the relations of its subordinate 

 groups. Iu my report on the Floridian Pliocene, a beginning has been 

 made in this direction. The present species came in very opportunely 

 to assist iu determining the characters of tbe soft parts. An empty 

 ovicapsule dredged with it resembles those of Scaphella magellanica, 

 but was only about 10 mm in diameter at the base. 



Family MITRID^. 



Genus MITRA Lamarck. 



Mitra Bairdii Dall. 



Plate xi, Fig. 7. 



Mitra (Turris?) Bairdii Dall, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoo!., xvm, p. 161, June, 1889. 



Shell waxen gray or greenish, elongated, acute, with ten or eleven 

 flattened whorls; nucleus ? (wanting); sculpture consisting on the 



