THE NAUTILUS. 105 



CANCELLARIA OBTUSA DESH. 



BY SLOMAX ROUS. 



Among some shells handed to me by my friend Mr. D. W. 

 Ferguson, of Brooklyn, is a specimen of Cancellaria obtusa Desh. 

 Tryon writing in 1885 says (Man. of Conch., Vol. VII, p. 68) : 

 " The unique specimen formed part of the Cumingian collection. 

 Hab. unknown." As far as I am aware no other specimen has 

 since been recorded, and it seems worth while to note the appear- 

 ance of another specimen and at the same time to amplify the some- 

 what meager description given in the Manual. 



The specimen is unfortunately what is called a dead shell but it 

 retains its color and is perfect, its principal imperfection being a 

 worm groove in the aperture, but this in no way detracts from show- 

 ing its characteristics and the species can be perfectly described from 

 the specimen. 



Spire much depressed, regularly spirally costate, the ridges 

 flattened, the intervening grooves about half the width of the ridges, 

 growth lines somewhat obsolete, but deeply pitted where they cross 

 the spiral grooves ; light yellowish-brown ; whorls three ; rather 

 narrowly umbilicate, columellar plications three, the inferior some- 

 what obsolete, upper part of aperture very heavily calloused, aper- 

 ture white. Lon. 24, lat. 18 mm. Hab. Panama. 



Mr. Ferguson received this specimen with a number of other 

 species from Mr. McNeill, well known as a collector of shells of 

 Central America, Panama, etc. All were labeled Panama, and all 

 the other species were undoubtedly Panama shells. I think there is 

 but little doubt but that this habitat will prove correct. 



NOTES. 



Mukex carpexteri, form alba Daring the past year the 



fishermen of Newport, Orange County, California, have brought up 

 a number of specimens of Murex carpenteri Dall, in their nets. 

 Most of them are the ordinary form, but among them are two or 

 three specimens of a pure white color, Bhowing little or none of the 

 usual brownish coloration so characteristic of the species. This is a 

 really beautiful variation, but as yet it seems to be very rare. Ac- 



