V °im"'] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 353 



ferent from either of them. The sculpture, though more spiuose, and 

 the form of the aperture recall Watson's figure of his Bembix ceola in 

 the Challenger report (Gastr., PI. vn, Fig. 13), which, however, has 

 the details of sculpture differently arranged. I should suspect from 

 this that Bembix would include this particular group of Solariella, all 

 of which have the peculiar silky surface and the same general type of 

 sculpture. The size and carination of the umbilicus, and consequently 

 the form of the aperture, are variable factors in this group of shells. 



Trochus alwince Lischike has been referred to Bembix, but I can see 

 no reason, from the description and excellent figures, why it should be 

 separated from Calliostoma. T. argenteo-nitens of the same author is 

 much like Watson's Bembix as was pointed out by him, though doubt- 

 less specifically distinct. 



Apropos of Bembix, the name was given long since by De Koninck 

 to a remarkable cretaceous land shell like a subspherical decollate 

 Cylindrella'j the type was examined by me very lately in the Museum 

 of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Massachusetts. I have not, 

 so far, had an opportunity of looking up the reference to the descrip- 

 tion, but according to Fischer (Man. conchyl. p. 827) the name was 

 used and the shell figured in 1861 by Ryckholt. In the form Bembyx 

 the name was used by Fabricius for Hymenoptera in 1775, who also 

 printed or misprinted it Bembex. It would seem as if the name Bembix, 

 as applied by my friend Watson, must be given up. This, however, is 

 of less importance, as the characters given for the group are not suffi- 

 cient to distinguish it from Solariella, or even possibly Turcicula. 

 That it may prove, when we know the soft parts, to be distinct, is 

 quite possible, but as yet the characters given for separating it from 

 such species as Solariella infundibulum and its allies do not seem very 

 weighty. 



Solariella actinophora sp. nov. 

 Plate xii, Figs. 8, 11. 



Shell with a prominent pointed apex, but generally depressed, pearly, 

 with a pale greenish epidermis and six whorls ; nucleus glassy, polished, 

 swollen, and slightly tilted 5 spiral sculpture on the spire of three sharp 

 narrow elevated threads, a finely granular or almost smooth periph- 

 eral keel or thread ou which the suture runst on the base three similar 

 less prominent threads, on the anterior of which the pillar lip revolves 

 around the umbilicus, and lastly a very sharp keel, with many strong, 

 sharp nodules, carinating the umbilicus ; transverse sculpture on the 

 spire of numerous sharp, elevated, narrow radii, which reach the second 

 spiral counting forward from the suture nodulatiug both ; some of the 

 radii appear to reach the third spiral, but most of them do not, and the 

 nodulations on the third usually alternate with those on the second 

 thread; the nodules are small and pyramidal, the rectangles formed 

 by the reticulations are flattened; beside the primary radii numerous 

 smaller oues start from the -suture between the primaries, but rarely 

 Proc. N. M. 89 23 



