1878.] FORMOSA AND THE PERSIAN GULF. 729 



cimens presented to the Museum by Mr. Dickson. There are two 

 on the penultimate whorl, one at its base, and one a little above the 

 middle. On the body-whorl there are three, the two upper ones 

 being continuous with those on the preceding volution, and the third 

 at the base. 



Melania obliqtjigranqsa. (Plate XLVI. figs. 7 & 8.) 



Shell elongately ovate, acuminate above, of a dirty yellowish 

 colour, and usually coated with a black earthy deposit ; spire acutely 

 conical, with straight outlines; whorls 9-10, turreted, quite flat, 

 obliquely plicated and spirally ridged, with nodules at the point of 

 contact of the plicse with the ridges ; on the whorls of the spire the 

 ridges are four in number, the granules on the uppermost one a little 

 larger than those on the three lower ones. Bod} r -whorl almost flat 

 above the middle; at that point and beneath somewhat convex, 

 encircled by 11 or 12 transverse ridges, whereof 5 or 6 of the upper 

 ones are granuliferous, the rest either uninterrupted or displaying 

 an indication of oblong grauulations. Aperture pyriform, acute su- 

 periorly, within of nearly the same colour as the exterior, but coated 

 with a thin smooth callous deposit occupying about f- of the entire 

 length of the shell ; columella considerably arcuated, at the middle 

 white, united above to the lip by a very thin enamel on the whorl ; 

 lip thin, sinuated above and prominent below the middle. 



Length 25 millim., diameter 8; aperture 10 long, 5 wide. 



Var. monstrosa. Shell ovate ; spire short ; aperture more than 

 half as long as the shell. 



Hah. Formosa {Dickson). 



This species may be recognized among the several allied forms 

 from the Philippine Islands and other places by its very rectilinear 

 acute spire and perfectly flat whorls. The uppermost series of gra- 

 nules is at a little distance beneath the sutural line ; and from this 

 circumstance the whorls have a turreted appearance. The nodules 

 of this series are larger and fewer in number than those of the other 

 series, and consequently do not quite regularly terminate the ob- 

 solete plicae, upon which the other three granules are situated in an 

 oblique direction. Some of the granules have a squarish form, 

 others are transversely somewhat oblong ; and most of them have 

 the upper and lower margins rather straight, with the lateral edges 

 less defined, but gradually blending off into the transverse ridges. 



The colour of this species is pretty constantly uniform ; one spe- 

 cimen, however, is marked with a few reddish dots towards the base, 

 and these are most conspicuous within the aperture. 



Melania tuberculata, Muller. (Plate XLVI. fig. 9.) 



Hab. Formosa (Dickson), 



The shell here figured appears to be inseparable from this re- 

 markably variable and widely distributed species. 



Melania subplicatula. (Plate XLVI. fig. 10.) 

 Shell rather small, elongate, acuminate, eroded or truncate at the 

 Proc. Zool. Soc— 1878, No. XLVII. 47 



