50 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA. 



Beries before me larger, there would be little difficulty iu showing 

 the specific identity. 



The Bingle specimen from Torres Straits is smaller than the type 

 in the Cumingian collection, and consists of nine whorls, three of 

 which form the smooth pinkish nucleus. The brown zone around 

 the middle of the body-whorl is uninterrupted, and passes up the 

 spiic just above the suture, beneath which the whorls are also 

 stained with the same colour. The columella is smooth, with the 

 exception of one or two elongate tubercles at the upper part; and 

 the labrurn is armed within with about fifteen fine lirse, running far 

 within the aperture. 



33. Phos senticosus, var. 



Murex senticosus, Linn. 

 Var.=Phos muriculatus, Govhl. 

 Var. = Phos angulatus, Sowerhy. 



Hab. West Island, Prince of Wales Channel, Torres Straits 

 (Coppingt r); Port Essington, 7 fms. (Jukes in Brit. Mus.). 



The variety muriculatus cannot, I think, be distinguished from 

 the well-known P. senticosus, of which it has the aspect of being a 

 dwarfed form. The style of coloration is similar, and the difference 

 in sculpture is very slight indeed, not sufficient to warrant, in my 

 opinion, a specific separation. In the British Museum I find a 

 series graduating from the short stumpy form of P. muriculatus to 

 the more graceful elongate outline of P. senticosus, the latter con- 

 sisting of eight whorls, exclusive of the smooth apex, and the former 

 of six, other specimens intermediate with regard to length having 

 seven. P. angulatus appears to offer very slight differences beyond 

 the absence in a greater or less degree of colour. 



34. Purpura bitubercularis, var. 



Lamarck ; Kiener, C'oq. Viv. pi. xi. fig. 32 ; Reeve, Conch. 1c. fig. 37 ; 



Kiister, Conch.-Cab. pi. 31a. figs. 3-8. 

 = Purpura kienerii, Deshayes, Anim. sans Vert. vol. x. p. 101. 

 Var. = Purpura undata, Reeve (? Lamarck), Conch. Icon. fig. 43. 



J fab. Philippine Islands (Cuming); Port Essington (Jukes); 

 Arakan coast (Blanford); Pelew Islands (Dr. King); Port Molle, 

 Queensland ( Coppinger). 



This species varies considerably in the length and development of 

 the tubercles. The two small specimens from Queensland have 

 them short and obtuse, as represented in fig. 3 of Kiister. Some 

 other forms, which have been described under various names, may 

 eventually be considered conspecific with this : such are P. luteo- 

 stoma, Chemnitz, P. alveolata, Reeve, P. clavigera, Kiister, and 

 perhaps P. bronni, Dunker. 1 cannot, however, agree with Tryon 

 that P. hippocastanum should also be classed with this species. I 

 should here observe that the specimen figured by Peeve as P. undata 

 of Lamarck is unquestionably a variety of this species (bitubercularis), 



