106 CONTRIBUTIONS 



have two specimens of a fossil shell from France, so closely 

 resembling our species, that it might be doubted if there 

 be propriety in making ours a new species. It is, how- 

 ever, a larger shell, and has little or no umbilicus. It 

 came to me without a name, and I cannot find a descrip- 

 tion of it in any of the works to which I have access. It 

 has no doubt been described. It may be Natica sigare- 

 tina, quoted by M. Deshayes in his Tertiary Tables'? I 

 have also a recent species, which I do not know to be de- 

 scribed, and which I think came from New Holland, so 

 like to these fossil species, that it would be difficult to dis- 

 criminate between them, were it not in possession of a 

 much larger umbilicus. In the specimens of striata in my 

 cabinet, I observe much difference in the striee. In some of 

 them, these strise are alternately larger and smaller ; some- 

 times they run two or three together ; in the latter case, 

 the surface might properly be said to be grooved. I do riot 

 consider these differences sufficient to create new species 

 unless accompanied by difference of form. 



JV. parva. Plate 4. Fig. 89. 



Description. Shell subfusiform, smooth ; substance of 

 the shell thin ; spire produced and pointed ; columella 

 thickened above ; outer lip sharp ; umbilicus small ; 

 whorls five, flattened above ; mouth semi-lunate, rather 

 more than half the length of the shell. 



Length .4, Breadth 5-20ths, of an inch. 



Observations. The spire of this species is more pro- 

 duced than any I know. The umbilicus is remarkably 



