of new and rare VolutcE. 31 ' 



all suffered so much by the auto dafe which they had undergone 

 for the purpose of roasting the inhabiting animals, that the greater 

 part of each shell was fairly burnt into lime. My specimen with 

 the tuberculaled body-whorl has suffered but very little ; and, 

 with the exception of a paleness where it has come in contact 

 with the fire, is brilliant in colour. The beauty of the specimen 

 with the smooth body-whorl has entirely yielded to the unmerci- 

 ful calcination bestowed on it; but fortunately, no injury has been 

 done to the spire or to the form of the shell. 



The case of a variety with a smooth body-whorl is by no means 

 uncommon among the tuberculated Volutce. I have very striking 

 examples of it in V. nivosa and V. Lapponica, as well as in V. 

 rutila; — to say nothing of V. vespertilio, Lin. 



V. rutila appears to me to form an addition to that small natural 

 group of Volutes which have the last turns, forming the papillary 

 summit of their spire, beaded with a series of regular, minute 

 granulations or pustules. This group contains, together with V. 

 rutila and V.pulchra, V. magnijica^ Chemn. and Lam.; the bats 

 (V.vespertilio^ Lin. and Lam.; V. pellis serpentis^ V. mitis, and 

 V. serpentina J Lam.);* and V. nivosa. The granulations are 

 most developed in V. vespertilio and V. nivosa; and are least 

 perceptible in V. magni/ica. It may be worthy of notice that all 

 these shells have four plaits on the pillar, and that Lamarck 

 records the South Seas as the habitat, though not exclusively, of 

 the last six, with the exception of his V. pellis serpentis, and 

 V. serpentina, to which he gives as a locality " L'Ocean des 

 Grandes Indes." I strongly suspect that these last are also 

 natives of the South Seas; and, indeed, I have some strong 

 evidence towards the confirmation of these suspicions : but the 

 locality of Testacea, or indeed of any animals or natural pro- 

 ductions, is a point of such high importance, as connected with 

 their geographical distribution, that the utmost caution should be 

 used before we come to a conclusion on this head. 



* After a careful examination of a connecting series of specimens, I am un- 

 able to discover any satisfactory specific distinction either in V. pellis serpentis, 

 in V. mitis, or V. serpentina. Lam. : nor do I think that any sufficient cause 

 exists for removing them from the situation which they formerly occypied as 

 varieties of V, vespertilio, Lin. 



