170 M. o. A. L. morch's review of the vermetid^. [April 9, 



margin with short filaments. The foot is very short and broad, di- 

 lated into ronnded auricles anteriorly. The muzzle is broad, not 

 cleft ; the tentacula are short, conical, having their eyes at their ex- 

 terior base. An elevated ridge runs along the back, becomes flattened 

 into a membrane at the head, and passes round under the right ten- 

 tacle, forming a kind of canal, near which is the anus. Its colour 

 is a light brown, with spots and patches of black ; viviparous. The 

 young shell is helicoid and reversed. The operculum is corneous, 

 black and hard on the inner, and Jamellated on the outer surface. 

 It is surroxmded by a thin, membranous, flexible portion, about one- 

 fourth its diameter ; thus it is enabled to close its shell perfectly at 

 the aperture, and yet to retreat far into the narrower whorls." This 

 latter assertion is not quite correct ; an operculum of V. lumbricalis /3, 

 has a diameter of G\ m., whilst the aperture of tlie shell has a dia- 

 meter of 7 m. 



Sowerby, in his ' Genera,' was the first to give a representation of 

 the lid, but this is not very satisfactory. A drawing of V. eburneus 

 from life by Prof. Oersted shows considerable differences, as will be 

 described below. 



24. Vermiculus tortuosus, Soldr. 1784. 



T. laxe contorta ; anfr. latere externa piano vel etiam concavius- 

 culo, Icevissimo, superne et inferne rectangulato, casta mar- 

 ginata, spira canica abbreviata {ex icane). 



1784. Le Quadrilathre, Fav. Cat. de Latour d'Auvergne, no. & 

 f. 1412 ; Humphrey, Conchology, t. 11. f. 4 (typus). 



Serpula tortuosa, Sol., Port. Cat. p. 184. no. 3939. 



Vermetus costalis, Rouss., Chenu, 111. t. 3. f. 1 & 1 5 ; Man. 

 f. 2295. 



Vermiculus tortuosus, Morch. Journ. Conch, vii. p. 30. 



Var. a. UNicosTALis (ex icone). 



Vermetus castalis, Rouss., Chenu, 111. t. 3. f. 1 a & c. 



T. latere externa convexiusculo, liris duabus eequalibus, inferne 



casta prominida marginata, superne nudo canvexo ; aperturam 



versus strigis aurantiis transversis, 



Var. j3. NiDiFicANS. 



T. temiiuscula, fusca-lurida, strigis ferrugineis obsoletis trans- 

 versis, spiraliter tarta ; anfr. una latere contigui, obtuse qua- 

 drangulares, longitudinaliter lirati et confertissime striati ; la- 

 tere externa declivi, inferne acutangulo, carina pallida albes* 

 cente maculis ferrugineis notata; superne liris tribus, lirula in- 

 tercalante, angulo obtuso mutico ; latere interna angido juxta 

 umbilicum lira gemina munito, liris duabus tribusve, lirula in- 

 ter calante ; regio umbilicalis conferte plana-lirata ; apertura 

 ampla, orbicularis, obtuse quadrangularis ; spira gracilis, ferru- 

 ginea ; anfr. ultimus carinis obtusis tribus interstitiis striatis, 

 anfr. cceteri Imvigati, nitidi, medio carinis duabus subtequalibus, 

 interne lirula suturali obsoleta. 



Diam. ap. 1 1, alt. 12m.; long, spirse circ. 9 m. 



