452 Zoological Society : — 



pairs of sternal plates, in the young specimen, and has a consider- 

 able amount of mobility in the adult specimen. 



The shell is brown ; the head is dark olive ; the temple and the 

 side of the neck pale-marbled ; underside of the limbs whitish. 



Wagler represents the anal shields of S. triporcatus as divided. 

 In the large specimen in the British Museum they are united into a 

 single rhombic shield, as in S. Salvinii. 



Remarks on a Species of Shell belonging to the Family 

 Dentaliid^. By W. Baird, M.D., F.L.S. ; with Notes 

 ON their Use by the Natives of Vancouver's Island 

 AND British Columbia, by J. K. Lord, F.Z.S. 



Amongst the objects of natural history and ethnology brought 

 from Vancouver's Island and British Columbia by Mr. Lord is a 

 belt composed of numerous specimens of a species of Dentalium 

 strung together. The species bears an exceedingly close resemblance 

 to that described by Linnaeus as Dentalium entalis (Entalis vulgaris 

 of Risso and of Dr. Gray's ' Guide to Mollusca'), and appears to me, 

 notwithstanding the difference of habitat, to be undistinguishable 

 from that European species. It has, however, been described by 

 the late Mr. Nuttall as Dentalium pi'etiosum ; and a figure has been 

 given of it by Mr. Sowerby in one of his late Numbers of the ' The- 

 saurus Conchyliorum.' 



From a careful comparison of the typical specimens of D. pretio- 

 sum in Air. Cuming's collection, there can be no doubt of the iden- 

 tity of that species with the specimens brought by Mr. Lord from 

 Vancouver's Island ; those in Mr. Cuming's collection are said to be 

 from California. In examining the old graves on the banks of the 

 Columbia River, along with numerous other articles, such as human 

 bones, flint instruments, &c., Mr. Lord found a number of specimens 

 of a species of Dentalium considerably eroded and worn, which I 

 have compared with some in Mr. Cuming's collection, and find iden- 

 tical with the Dentalium striolatum of Stimpson, from Newfound- 

 land. I strongly suspect that both this species (2>. striolatum) and 

 D. pretiosum are only very slight varieties of the old Linnaean spe- 

 cies Dentalium entalis {Entalis vulgaris). The habitats of all three 

 (species ?) are very different from each other ; but, notwithstanding 

 this, in the absence of distinct specific characters, I should hesitate 

 very much in making distinct species of them. However that may 

 be, the history of the specimens brought by Mr. Lord is very interest- 

 ing ; and these few observations must be considered only as intro- 

 ductory to the very instructive notes drawn up by that gentleman, a 

 perusal of which will prove the best apology for these brief prelimi- 

 nary remarks. 



Notes on the above, by Mr. J. K. Lord. 



It is somewhat curious that these shells {Entalis pretiosus, Nut- 

 tall, sp. ; Entalis vulgarisl) should have been employed as money 

 by the Indians of North- West America — that is, by the native tribes 

 inhabiting Vancouver's Island, Queen Charlotte's Island, and the 



