Nigerian Eocene Mollusca. 53 



REMARKS. This shell exhibits affinities with both Solarium bistriatum of 

 Deshayes (Desc. Coq. Foss. Paris, 1832, Vol. 2, p. 215, pi. 25, figs. 19, 20) 

 from the older Eocene (Ypresian) of France and S. carocollatum, Lamarck 

 (Hist. Nat. Anim. Sans Vert., 1822, Vol. 7, p. 6; Basterot : Mem. Soc. Hist. 

 Nat. Paris, 1825, Vol. 2, pi. i, fig. 12, p. 34) from the Miocene (Burdigalian) 

 of the same country. From the former it differs chiefly in being of much 

 more robust and less depressed character, besides possessing an obtusely 

 angulate instead of an acutely thin periphery and being furnished with 

 prominently nodulated umbilical edges in place of short radial plications. The 

 Miocene shell has a well marked narrow canaliculation surrounding the umbilical 

 region not present in the shell from Nigeria while the marginal edges of the 

 same consist of short radial plications instead of more or less nodulated 

 tubercles. Some striking analogies are also traceable to Oppenheim's 

 Solarium subpatulum from the Egyptian Eocene but without actual examples 

 for comparison it is difficult to recognise it as identical with the shell from 

 Nigeria. The European forms referred to present affinities with Conrad's 

 Solarium alveatum from the United States Eocene which Dr. Dall has used 

 as the type of his Stellaxis (Trans. Wagner Free Inst. Sci. Philadelphia, 1892, 

 Vol. 3, part 2, p. 323), hence the present shell is determined as belonging to 

 that genus. In the Nigerian deposits this species is numerously represented. 



OCCURRENCE. Cuttings Nos. i, 5, 6, 10, n, 12, 13, 14, 15. 

 COLLECTOR. Mr. Kitson. 



Solariaxis of. spectabilis (J. de C. Sowerby). 



PLATE 5, figs. 12, 13. 

 Solarium spectabile. 



}. de C. Sowerby : Dixon's " Geology of Sussex " 1850, pi. 6, fig. 2, p. 179. 



REMARKS. It is interesting to find among the Nigerian shells of this 

 family, a species showing close relations with Solarium spectabile which was 

 long ago described by J. de C. Sowerby from the Middle Eocene deposits 

 of Bracklesham Bay, Sussex, the type of which is in the British Museum, 

 having been described as " convex, striated, margin thin, sharp, deflected ; 

 whorls about six, slightly convex, their upper edges prominent, crenated ; the 

 spaces between the striae unequal, alternately granular ; umbilicus nearly equal 



