79 



M. Deshayes affirms that notwithstanding this error, Lamarck " has dis- 

 cerned with the greatest sagacity the place which this genus should occupy 

 in the system ", and goes on to demonstrate that its affinity with the Mitres 

 is incontestible. 



I certainly cannot compete with M. Deshayes on the advantages he has 

 had of examining the Columbella alive on the shores of the Mediterranean, 

 but I tliink his opinion of their possessing a more intimate relation with 

 the Mitrce than with the Ricinula, or Bicinuloid Purpura, is not borne out 

 by his description of the animal. Like the soft parts of the latter, the head 

 of the Columbella is flattened and prolonged at each extremity into the 

 tentacles, the proboscis is, moreover, of moderate dimension, for though 

 said to be " very long ", it is only described as " often exceeding the length 

 of the aperture of the shell "; and the disk is furnished with a small oper- 

 culum. The proboscis of the Mitre, as already mentioned at p. 48, is 

 susceptible of very considerable elongation, many times the length of the 

 shell's aperture, and it cannot be supposed that the Purpura have not the 

 faculty of elongating their proboscis to any greater extent than is repre- 

 sented in the few drawings hitherto obtained of them in a living condition, 

 in some of wliich it is most probably only partially extended, whilst in 

 others it is altogether retracted. 



The following species are chiefly described in a recently published mono- 

 graph in Mr. Sowerby's ' Thesaurus Conchy liorum '; and it only remains to 

 refer to the admirable figures of that work for illustration. 



1. acbatina, Sow. 



2. acleonta, Duclos. 



3. acuminata, Nuttall. 



4. adiastina, Duclos. 



5. albina, Kiener. 



6. ainbigua, id. 



7. ampla, Less. 



8. anacteola, Duclos. 



9. angidaris, Sow. 



10. apthsegera, Less. 



11. araneosa, Kiener. 



12. aspersa, Sow. 



13. athadona, Duclos. 



14. atomella, id. 



15. atramentaria, Sow. 



16. aurantia, Duclos. 



17. avara, Say. 



18. azora, Duclos. 



Species. 



19. bicanaliculata, Duclos. 



20. bicanaltfera, Sow. 



21. bicolor, Kiener. 



22. bidentata, Menke. 



23. blanda, Sow. 



24. Boivinii, Kiener. 



25. Broderipii, Sow. 



26. Buccinoides, id. 



27. castanea, id. 



28. catenata, id. 



29. chlorostoma, id. 



30. Chrisopsis, Duclos. 



31. clathra, Less. 



32. concinna, Soto. 



33. cornea, Kiener. 



34. corniculata, Sow. 



35. corniformis, Sow. 



36. coronata, Soto. 



37. costata, Duclos. 



38. costellata, Sow. 



39. cribraria, id. 



40. daliola, Duclos. 



41. decussata, Sow. 



42. denticulata, Duclos. 



43. dermestoides, Sow. 



44. dichroa, id. 



45. digitata, Lesson. 



46. dormitor, Soto. 



47. dorsata, id. 



48. Duclosiana, id. 



49. electona, Duclos. 



50. elegans, Sow, 



51. fabula, id. 



52. falconta, Duclos. 



53. fasciata, <S<9«;. 



54. festiva, Kiener. 



