vol.. XVI 



180a. 



] 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



31J9 



Mr. Tryou, in his monograph of the genus Crucibulum^maken the vari- 

 ous imbricated forms that have been described, synonyms of scuteUatum 

 Gray; those that are "iinely radiately costulate or smooth" he in- 

 cludes under tlie varietal name of quiriquina Lesson. Certain West 

 Indian species he consolidates under the varietal name of auriculatum 

 (Chemn.) Auct., an IndoPacific form is made var. violaceum Car- 

 l)enter, and the West American spinose forms he i)laces under the 

 varietal name of tuhiferum Lesson. His subordination of groups and 

 species is as follows : 



C scuteUatum Gray. 



= C. imbticnfum I?rod. 



= C, cornigalum Carj). 



= C. ruffosuvi Lesson. 



= C'. dentatum Meuko. 



:= C. costatum Meuke. 



= C. Cumingii Carp. 



= 6'. extiiiclorium Sowl). 



= C. rude Hrod. 



=rC getnmacaa Val. 



= C. pcctinatum Carp. 



= C. umbrella Desh. 



:= C, planata Mfirclt. 



^C. concaiHcralum Reeve. 



=^C. serratum Brod. 



The two latter presumably young 

 shells. 

 Var. quiriquina Lesson. 



-=^C. trigonah' Ada. & Rve. 



:= C. ferrugineum Reeve. 

 =^C. lignaria Brod. 

 = C. tenue Brod. 

 := C. spectrum Reeve. 

 Var. auriculatum (Chemn.), Auct., West 

 Indian. 

 = C. Cuvieri Desh. 

 = C. planatum Sebum. 

 = C. Caribheense Carp. 



Var. violaceum Carp. (Jcylon. 

 Var. tuhiferum Lesson. 



= 6'. spinosum Sowb. 



= C. cincreum Reeve. 



;= C. hispida Brod. 



= C. Peziza Gray. 



=•■ C. J'eziza,vax. comprcsaoconicumCuT]}. 



= C. maculatnm Brod. 



:;^C. striatum Brod., not Say. 



= C auritum Reeve, 



It will be noticed that the West Indian forms, the Ceylon species, 

 as well as the rest, are made varieties of scuteUatum. Any person who 

 has collected or handled a large number of the West American shells 

 of this group is well aware of the excessive number of specific names 

 that have been attached to what may reasonably be regarded as 

 varieties, and that many of such names rest upon a very frivolous 

 foundation. While Mr. Tryon's condensation of these is measurably 

 warranted, with the ample material of the National collection before 

 me I can not follow or approve in toto of his very radical modification. 



The first objection to the above is the reducing of the s])inose forms 

 to a varietal position and the second is the inclusion of others described 

 under the names of pectinatum, serratum, concanieratum, striatum, and 

 auritum in either of Jryon's varietal groups. One species not included 

 in Tryon's enumeration is referred in his index to Galertis or Trochita, 

 that is, 6'. sordida Brod. (Rve., Mono,, sp. 22); this belongs with the 

 species 'pectinatum, etc., above named, making all together six. In 

 these the internal process or cuj) is distinctly separable from all the 

 others, and the large National Museum series shows that under any 

 modification of form due to the shape of the object to which the shell 



