TRTTIA. 59 



being betrayed by a little hillock. It also gets into lobster-pots 

 for the sake of the bait. Bouchard-Chantereaux attributes to this 

 as well as to other whelks, the habit of piercing and devouring bi- 

 valves. According- to M. Lespes, N. retieulata is preyed upon b}~ a 

 parasitic Trematode (Cercon'a aayittata') which infests if s -liver. 

 Its spawn cases are deposited on the leaves of Zostera and on 

 various otlier things which are left dry only at springtides ; the 

 capsules are arranged in rows, and so closely that they overlie 

 each other 'Mike the brass scales of the cheek-band of a hussar" 

 (Johnston). They are compressed pouches, each of the size of 

 M larsre spangle, supported on a very short stalk, with a small 

 opening at the top to allow the fry to escape. Mr. Peach des- 

 cribed and figured the capsules in the Reports of two Cornish 

 Societies for 1843 and 1844 ; and he has given us some amusing 

 particulars of the fry. These behaved themselves like the fry 

 of other gastropods, skipping about and whirling round by 

 means of their ciliated lobes, apparently in a state of pleasura- 

 ble excitement ; but it seems that the exercise was compulsory, 

 or necessary to prevent the attacks of a swarm of infusoria, 

 which made short work of any tired or feeble infant Nassa. 



Mr. Jeffreys has named A T . nitida (fig. 340) a shell which he 

 says is as distinct from A T . rt'liciilcita as A 7 , /.ti/gmsea is from N. 

 irtcr(i$iwtn.< and he states that lie has not seen any intermediate 

 forms, lie states that in'Hdn is found only in brackish water 

 and on muddy bottoms. A specimen among a number dredged 

 by him in Roach River, had two eyes on the right hand tentacle; 

 the eyes were smaller than usual, and close together. I agree 

 with Morch and Von Martens that nitida is merely a variet t y of 

 N. retwiilata. Mr. Jeffreys cites A 7 , re.ticnlata from Japan;* the 

 identity of the Japanese shell must be supposed to be in the 

 sense in which Mr. Mar rat would regard it yet I can admit it 

 also, if it be considered necessary to [trove an immense distri- 

 bution for the species. A". reti<-u1<it.a, figured by Quoy and 

 Uaimard in the Voy. of the Astrolabe, is no*, this species how- 

 ever, but probably X. rrt'maffi. var. maTgartiifera,. A carious, 

 thin, swollen form from the Baltic is known as N. 

 Ohemn (figs. 343-345). 



* Jour. Linn. Soc., xii, 107. 



