1884.] 'lightning' AND ' porcupine' KXPEDITIONS. 367 



E. nitida of Philippi, but apparently not Melania nitida of La- 

 marck, from the Paris Basin. 



Extremely variable in size, length of the spire, comparative slen- 

 derness, and breadth of the last whorl, as well as in a slight degree of 

 curvatnre. Many species could easily be made out of it. In E. 

 polita (especially the young) the periphery is augulated, but never 

 in the present species. 



Cantraiiie's description is too short to be satisfactory, viz. : — 

 "Testa parva, subulata, recta, vitrea, levi. Alt. 5 Hn. diam. Ij." 



'^ 6. EuLiMA DisTORTA, Defrancc. 



Melania distorta (Defiance), Deshayes, Destr. d. Coq. foss. des 

 environs de Paris (1824), t. ii. p. Ill, pi. xiii. f. 24, 25. 



E. distorta, B. C. iv. p. 205 ; v. p. 214, pi. Ixxvii. f. 5. 



'Porcupine' Exp. 1869: St. 9, 18 (and var. gracilis), 25 (and 

 var. gracilis), N. Channel. 1870: Atl. 13, Vigo B., 29-34; Med. 

 G. Tunis, Adventure Bank. 



Distribution. Lofoten I. to the Adriatic and ifirchipelago, 

 Madeira {Watson), Canaries {(TOrhigmj and McAndrew). Off Sa- 

 hara and west coast of Africa ('Talisman ' Exp.), Azores (Drouet), 

 New England (Ferrill), St. Vincent's, West Indies {Guilding), Ma- 

 zatlan (P. Carpenter), N. Japan {St. John)] ; 0-1261 fms. 



Fossil. Pliocene : Red C!rag {A. Bell) !, Italy. Post-tertiary : 

 Norway, Ayrshire, and Rhodes. 



I regard as synonyms of this abundant and widely spread species, 

 Bissoa sinuosa, Scacchi ; Turbo curvatas, Chiereghini (MS. only) ; 

 £alcis arcuata,hea.ch (1852) ; and E. p/iilippii, Weinkauff (1867). 



Judging from the description and figure of the Eocene species in 

 the above-cited work of Deshayes, I should have been inclined to 

 consider it distinct from the recent species ; but having lately re- 

 ceived, through the kindness of Dr. Fischer, typical specimens of 

 the former, I have carefully compared them with many hundred 

 specimens of the latter, and I feel myself conscientiously bound to 

 unite them. Some specimens of both forms have the last whorl 

 larger in proportion to the next, or else have the outer lip more or 

 less flexuous ; the degree of curvature (which is occasionally double 

 or flexuous) differs considerably, and the periphery is now and then 

 somewhat augulated or keeled. 



The variety gracilis is usually straight instead of being distorted 

 or curved ; but after a long and close examination, I have failed in 

 discovering a single character which would justify its separation from 

 the typical form as a distinct species. Both are equally common 

 and generally distributed with intermediate forms. 



Professor G. O. Sars found this species living in a quasi-parasitic 

 or " commensal " state inside Holothuria iutestinalis . 



\/ 7. EuLiMA GLABR-A \ Jeffreys. (Plate XXVIII. fig, 2.) 



Shell awl-shaped, rather strong, semitranspareut, and of a 

 polished lustre : sculpture none : colour whitish, with a faint tinge 



' Smooth. 



25* 



