40 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA. 



transverse Lira are nodose on crossing the ribs, three in number 

 upon the upper whorls, a fourth being present upon the lower part 

 of the penultimate and sixteen to eighteen on the last. Another 

 feature worth uoticingis the presence of a finer thread-like line 

 above the uppermost of the chief line, which runs in a slight con- 

 cavity at the upper part of the whorls. 



The aperture is narrow, as is the shell itself, not greatly contracted 

 at the canal, and occupies rather less than half the length of the 

 shell. The columella is subperpendicular, a little tortuous and 

 smooth, without line or tubercles. The outer lip is thickened with 

 an exterior rib, but thin and sharp at the extreme margin. It is 

 widely and semieireularly notched above just below the suture in 

 the fiint concavitv of the whorl, and generally in adult shells bears 

 a small tubercle within close to or just below the sinus, with which 

 exception it is smooth. 



8. Pleurotoma (Daphnella) axis. 

 Pleurotoma axis, Reeve, Conch. Icon. fig. 311. 



Hah. PortMolle, 14 fms. (Coppinger) ; Philippines (Cuming). 

 The apical whorls of this, as in all the other species of the 

 group Daphnella, are microscopically cancellated by oblique criss- 

 cross lines. The four or five succeeding volutions are coarsely can- 

 cellated by longitudinal costa? and spiral ridges, the points of inter- 

 section being subnodose. Beyond this the remaining whorls (about 

 three in number) are destitute of the costa?, exhibiting only spiral 

 ridging of different degrees of fineness and intermediate finer stria? 

 crossed only by the lines of growth. 



One of these ridges towards the upper part of the whorls is 

 especially prominent, giving them a somewhat shouldered appearance, 

 and between this and the upper thickened margin there is a decided 

 concavity. The aperture is elongate, contracted anteriorly into a 

 distinct and somewhat recurving canal, together occupying a little 

 less than half the total length of the shell. The labrum is a trifle 

 thickened, presenting exteriorly a slightly swollen appearance, has 

 a rather deep slit above at the suture, is smooth within, and crenu- 

 lated finely along the edge. 



ii. Pleurotoma (Daphnella) arafurensis. (Plate IY. fig. G.) 



Shell fusiform, whitish, faintly banded with light brown, spirally 

 ridged and striated and marked with the flexuous lines of growth. 

 Whorls 7 : two apical globose, microscopically reticulated, but ap- 

 pearing smooth under an ordinary lens, rather large ; the remain- 

 ing five are convex, a little constricted beneath the suture, and 

 spirally ridged and striated. The upper whorls have four or five 

 principal lirse, the uppermost falling just beneath the slight con- 

 striction, and the others below at equal distances. The whorls arc 

 thiekened at or immediately under the sufiral line with an elevated 





