90 Observations upon Voluta Lambert i. 



in its earlier stage, in the Portbury tree ; and the three instances 

 occurring so near together make it probable that, under fa- 

 vourable circumstances, the yew has the power of thus per- 

 petuating itself. If so, it may be said to have a new claim to 

 be considered the emblem of immortality. There is no doubt 

 that, barring accidents, the inner trunks of the two old ones 

 just named, will survive as independent trees, when, centuries 

 hence, the surrounding walls of their original boles shall have 

 completely disappeared ; and, should no record of its true 

 history exist, an observer then will be quite unconscious that 

 it is but a portion of a former tree, whose germ existed, per- 

 haps, three thousand years ago ; for the lateral scar, which 

 would for a while mark its point of union, would, in time, be 

 closed up, and buried beneath new deposits.* 



Art. VI. Observations upon Valuta Lamberti, xvith a Description 

 of a gigantic Species of Terebrdtula from the Coralline Crag. 

 By Edward Charlesworth, F.G.S. 



Prior to the publication of my remarks in the last Number 

 of the Magazine of Natural History, upon the Voluta Lamberti, 

 I communicated my intention to M. Deshayes, informing him 

 at the same time of the opinion entertained by British con- 

 chologists, as to his having erroneously placed that fossil on 

 the list of existing species. Having, in the course of my 

 former paper, mentioned the silence of M. Deshayes upon this 

 subject, it is now only just for me to state that within the last 

 few days a letter has reached me, dated 15th of the present 

 month (January), in which it appears that illness and other 

 causes prevented his replying to mine at an earlier period. 

 He thus explains the grounds which led him to class the crag 

 Voluta with those fossil species which have living analogues. 



" Vous me demandez, Monsieur, des renseignements sur 

 le Voluta Lamberti de Mr. Sowerby. Vous savez mieux 

 que moi ce que M. Sowerby dit de cette coquille dans son 

 Mineral Conchology : il dit en avoir vu l'analogue vivant peche 

 dans les mers du sud : il en decrit les couleurs ; et c'est a 

 cette description que je me suis confie pour mentioner cette 

 espece parmi les analogues vivants et fossiles. Plusieurs 

 personnes sur le temoignage des quelles je pouvais compter 

 m'ont dit avoir vu a Londres l'analogue vivant du Voluta 

 Lamberti. Ce sont la les seuls renseignements que je pos- 

 sede a ce sujet, et ils ne vous apprendront ri'en que vous ne 

 sachiez mieux que moi. Quant aux fossiles, je puis vous 



* The greater part of this Paper was read at the meeting of the British 

 Association at Bristol, where it excited very great interest. — Ed. 



