406 . Mr. W.H. Benson on Ianthina, Bolten, 
(agreeing rather with the shell figured in the Voyage of the 
‘Samarang’ than with the very different form assigned to the 
species in pl. 2. f. 9. of the ‘ Iconica’), first occurred in company 
with J. nitens, and continued at intervals as far as 35° S. lat. 
and 74° E. long., generally with I. exigua. I had not the good 
fortune to catch such large specimens of this species as were 
taken by one or two of my companions. 
About midway between Sierra Leone and Paraiba, 3° north of 
the line, and in about 24° of west longitude, we sailed during 
half an hour, on the 10th of October, through a space occupied 
by a fine species, the more depressed forms of which appear to be 
Lamarck’sJ. fragilis(not I. fragilis, Reeve). The spire is variously 
elevated, until in one specimen it attains the exact figure of 
Reeve’s J. affinis, considered by Mérch to be merely a variety 
of I. fragilis. Nine specimens were captured, of which four fell 
to my net. Several fine ones were missed. This species was 
not again seen until, in the Bay of Bengal, to the north-east of 
the Andamans, I took in my casting-net eight specimens of a 
variety in an immature state. TZrochus Ianthinus, the original 
species of Chemnitz, which has a similar elevated spire, is as- 
signed to Tranquebar, on the Coromandel coast of the same bay. 
The next form obtained was a beautiful little purple J. uwmbi- 
licata, D’Orb., the finest specimens exhibiting an incision in the 
outer lip nearly as deep as that to which J. bifida, Nuttall, owes 
its name. From its locality (about a degree north of the line), 
until we had attained 14° of north latitude in the Bay of Bengal, 
it was not observed. I then took a single specimen of a large 
solid variety ; and some minute examples accompanied J. exigua 
to the head of the bay. 
As we approached the Tristan d’Acunha group, in the Southern 
Atlantic, we sailed for several days through a tract, from 30° 8S. 
lat. and 18° W. long. to 33° S. and 10° W., inhabited by a 
fine white and violet-coloured Janthina pallida, Harvey, in com- 
pany with a large variety of J. exigua. On the last day of its 
appearance we passed specimens of a very large size; but the 
rate (8 knots) at which the ship was sailing through a strong 
swell, caused the loss of my casting and towing nets in the 
attempts made to procure them. On the following day, when 
the weather had become favourable, not a single specimen of J. 
pallida was visible; and it did not again appear until we had 
reached a point to the north-east of the Isles of St. Paul and 
Amsterdam, where a small pale variety was accompanied by the 
Tanthina next to be noticed: the species then disappeared for 
the rest of the voyage. 
From the Ist to the 5th of December, between 33° and 30° 
south latitude and 81° and 88° east longitude, the ‘ Malcolm’ 
