a Genus of qua»iparasitic MoUusks. 329 



Let me say a few words as to the name of this genus and the 

 European species. Although the Greek orthography is followed 

 in our word style, it is clear that the Latin word stilus was not 

 spelt with a y : it is, of course, from this latter word that Stilifer 

 is derived. Whether it is correct to form a generic name with 

 an adjective may be very questionable ; but use has sanctioned 

 it in the present instance, as well as in Spirifer, Stiliger, Lobiger, 

 lanthina, Vitrina, and many others of general acceptation. 



According to some purists, the specific name given by the disco- 

 verer, if subsequently adopted as generic, ought to be retained ; so 

 that the European species would be Stilifer stilifer. Precedents 

 are not wanting for such a reduplication of the name under 

 similar circumstances, e. g. Volva volva, Turricula turricula, &c. 

 But it would be very inconvenient to alter the specific name 

 7\irtoni, which is so familiar to all conchologists, to say nothing 

 of the inelegance of this system of nomenclature, or of its being 

 contrary to one of the rules recommended by a committee of 

 the British Association. 



This specific name has been spelt, too, in different ways. We 

 have Galeomma Turtoni, Scalaria Turtonis, and not only Stilifer 

 Turtoni of Broderip, but S. Turtonii of Loven. The termination 

 of the proper name from which all these originated is a Greek, 

 and not a Latin, form ; and if it is to be so declined, the genitive 

 would be 'is, with the penultimate syllable short, as Actaon, 

 Actaonis ; Alctnaun, Alcmaonis, &c. : so Turton, Turtonis. But 

 if we Latinize the name by adding us to it, the genitive would 

 be i : T\ir tonus, Turtoni ; just as Galen was Galenus -i in the works 

 of ancient authors. I must offer an apology for this pedantic 

 explanation, although it may be well to have the name in ques- 

 tion uniformly spelt. 



The following are all the known species of Stilifer, with such 

 particulars of their geographical distribution and habits as I 

 have been able to collect. 



A. Spire short. 



1. Stilifer Turtoni, Broderip. 



Synonyms : Phasianella stylifera, Turton. 



Stylifer globosus, Johnston (1841). 

 S. astericola. Brown (1S44). 

 S. stylifera, Hanley (1844). 

 S. Turtonii, Loven (1846). 



Habitat. On Echinus esculentus, E. saxatilis, E. pictus (Nor- 

 man, MS.) and E. DrUbachiensis, in from 20 to 80 fathoms, 

 British and Scandinavian Seas. 



This being local, and more especially the subject of the pre- 

 sent paper, some further details of its distribution may be de- 

 sirable. 



