IANTHINA. 



187 



is partly sunk within the spire, and obliquely turned in various 

 directions : suture rather slight' but distinct : mouth irregularly 

 triangular ; the base of the triangle is the pillar, the lower part 

 of which is reflected outwards, and forms a more or less sharp 

 angle : outer lip gently incurved below the periphery, widely 

 and deeply sinuated in the middle : inner lip consisting of a 

 white film, which lines the upper side of the base within the 

 mouth and is folded back on the under side over the pillar ; 

 this is twisted and nearly perpendicular. L. 1/2. B. 1-35. 



HABITAT : Occasionally cast on shore, from July to 

 November, in the south and west of England and Ire- 

 land, and the Bristol Channel. To these localities may 

 be added the north of Ireland (Turton and Thompson), 

 Portrush, co. Antrim (Turton and Brown), Loch Ryan 

 (James Smith), and Skye (Forbes, MS.). The foreign 

 distribution of this species is doubtful ; I can only ven- 

 ture to give Brittany (Cailliaud and Tasle) , Madeira and 

 the Canary Islands (M.' Andrew), and probably the Azores 

 (Drouet) . Dr. Morch informs me that no lanthina or 

 other oceanic animal has been observed on the shores of 

 Denmark. 



When I found living specimens on the Welsh coast 

 (nearly forty years ago) I was a boy, and cared for the 

 shells only ; the animal did not then interest me. Clark's 

 description of the latter is generic ; and that given by 

 Forbes and Hanley seems to represent some species of 

 the oviparous section, because it mentions the egg- 

 vesicles. The present species is certainly viviparous. 

 Young as well as adult specimens contain perfectly 

 formed fry of a whorl and a naif. The shell is some- 

 times distorted, owing to an imperfectly repaired frac- 

 ture, or to the mantle having been injured. In ' Lou- 

 don's Magazine of Natural History ' for July 1834 will 

 be found an interesting notice by Dr. Turton of the 

 appearance of this lanthina in the small coves about the 



