40 Marshall: on the British species of buccinum, fusus, etc. 



only partially established, and to be small and scarce. As a general 

 rule, and comparing large series with F. aaiiquinf, F. (h^ftperhis will be 

 found to be appreciably longer in the spire and shorter in the body- 

 whorl, in some instances very much so. The carinated sculpture is 

 always present and conspicuous in F. desj>erfu><, and is a prominent 

 feature of the shell, it is only now and again that a specimen with /ess 

 prominent carinations approximates to one of/', anfiquus rar. rarinafa 

 that is more than usually carinated. Professor G. O. Sars and Mr. E. A. 

 Smith consider the two forms distinct species, as to which I do not 

 think there can be much doubt. Miss Elliott's examples of var. 

 carinafa in the National Collections are as characteristic as any that 

 may be found, but these could never be mistaken for F. (lesperius ; 

 while Sars' figures are excellent representations of F. despedus, yet 

 could not be mistaken for the most extreme examples of var. rarinafa. 

 The Rev. Boog AVatson writes with respect to F. despectus : — " The 

 identity of this species with F. antiquum is very strongly supported, and 

 is an opinion deserving the utmost respect. If it has not been 

 followed here, the reason is that though my opportunities for compari- 

 son have been rather limited, I have an impression that the apex in 

 the two species is different. On this point I had hoped for fuller 

 information from Mr. Friele in his great work on the mollusca of the 

 Norwegian Northern Expedition." (^) But that work was not forth- 

 coming. It has subsequently been published, and Herr Friele has 

 figured the apices of both F. despertus and F. anti<piiis, but his figures 

 are not convincing. I have an uninterrupted series of all ages of both 

 species, and I must confess to finding the evidence negative, notwith- 

 standing that there is an unusual amount of individual variation in the 

 apex of both species. The most that can be said is that the extremes 

 of both forms nearly approximate ; but they are not singular in that 

 respect, nor would the mere presence or number of carinations in the 

 var. rarinafa, however closely resembling those of F. desperfus, of 

 itself constitute that species. The extreme variability of these 

 striations and carinations (hardly two specimens being alike) demon- 

 strate their varietal character. F. furfoni has a correlative variety. 



F. NORVEGicus, Chemn. — Great Fisher Bank, and from Aberdeen 

 trawlers. (Simpson) ! None of the figures or descriptions of this 

 species indicate the presence of a large swollen excrescence on the 

 upper part of the pillar, just at the entrance of the aperture, which 

 occurs in about 50 per cent, of adult specimens. This excrescence if 

 examined is found to wind itself inwardly round the pillar. I cannot 



(i) " Challenger" Gastropoda, p. icg. 



