MISS DONALD: ON TUKRITELLIDJ: AND MUKCDIISONIID.i:. 51 



preoccupied, it was afterwards called T. Sophice by J. Brazier, who 

 states that it also occurs off Sydney in deep water. This species 

 has not been figured ; it is said to consist of thirteen whorls, which 

 have a length of 1 1 mm. and a width of 3 mm. It is especially 

 distinguished by the narrow and deep sinus in its outer lip, which is 

 stated to extend 4 or 6 mm. from the aperture. If this measurement 

 be correct, the sinus must run almost completely round the whorl, 

 and thus be the deepest known. Mr. Hedley informs me that there is 

 another example of this species in a collection in the Sydney Museum 

 which he intends to describe, and we hope that he will figure it. 

 T. Higginsi lias uot been figured, and the description is so brief that 

 it is difficult to tell whether it is really distinct from all the other 

 described species. The shell consists of fifteen whorls in a length 

 of 30 mm., and has a very deep sinus in the outer lip. It occurs off 

 Tarnar Heads, Tasmania. Besides the seven species here enumerated, 

 I am describing three new ones with a deep sinus, one with a broad 

 shallow sinus, and a variety of this last. 



Before giving the formal description of these, I think it well to 

 draw up a general summary of the characters of the shells with 

 a deep sinus. 



Family TTJRRITELLID^E. 



Section Colpospiea, n.sect. 



Shell elongated, turreted, composed of numerous whorls. Orna- 

 mentation consisting of keels and spiral threads, and frequently 

 a strong ridge or angle above and below the suture. Aperture sub- 

 quadrate, rather longer than wide; outer lip arched obliquely 

 backwards above a deep sinus, then produced prominently below the 

 sinus, and curved round to meet the columella, where it is slightly 

 canaliculated. Inner lip spread on the body- whorl. Columella 

 produced and almost straight. 



This section is distinguished from the type and other sections of 

 Turritella by the deep sinus in the outer lip, by the lower part of the 

 lip being more produced forwards, by the columella being longer and 

 nearly straight, and by the aperture being slightly channelled below. 

 The sinus resembles that of certain forms hitherto referred to the 

 family Murchisoniidae. It is, however, quite distinct from the type 

 of Murchisonia, the line bounding the sinus continuing from suture to 

 suture without the break made by the slit in that genus, and no band 

 is formed. Thus there must have been merely a fold in the mantle 

 of the animal, and not a slit as in Murchisonia and Pleurotomaria. 

 It seems advisable to regard this as a section of Turritella until the 

 animal is known. 



It must be noted that all the species of this group at present known 

 have been dredged off the coasts of Australia, Tasmania, and New 

 Zealand at depths varying from 38 to 410 fins. 



Type. — Turritella runcinata, Watson. 



