90 



found in a fossil state, which much resemble that from 

 New Holland ; and much discernment is requisite to di- 

 stinguish it from them, and which will be represented at 

 tab. 151. British Mineralogy, being the cast of a species 

 which existed probably in ante-diluvian times. Their con- 

 struction is always singularly uniform and beautiful : the 

 present is perhaps as much so as any : we therefore wonder 

 that it has escaped the attention of the curious, for we 

 know of no other specimen yet brought to London. 



It is a sort of compressed globe, and, as in others, is 

 divided into five principal partitions, each of which has 

 four rows of perforations, which we believe to be fora- 

 mina. These are covered in an elegant manner with minute 

 elongated spines, in two rows, with two rows of smaller 

 ones at their bases, forming a serpentine line in the centre. 

 These smaller ones are somewhat elongated, and in that 

 respect differ from the New Holland one. Thus there are 

 five grand divisions, which are also subdivided in the cen- 

 tre by a serpentine line, differing from the former in having 

 six rows of small acute spines, without any perforations 

 under them : on each side of these, in the longitudinal di- 

 rection of the shell, are six or seven ovate divisions regu- 

 larly set round with flat elongated spines fixed on the cir- 

 cumference, and inclining towards the centre, somewhat 

 conically, surrounding solid spines, from half an inch to 

 three inches or more in length. These spines vary a little 

 in proportion of thickness; the lower ones are generally 

 thickest, most equal, and bluntest ; some diminish towards 

 the ends, others thicken a little, those near the mouth are 

 sometimes partly spatulate. They are all covered with 

 ridges of small tubercles, most prominent towards their 

 points, with a spongy appearance surrounding them. The 

 mouth is covered with imbricated blunter spines. 



It may be observed that, in describing these, we much 

 resemble conchologists, who rather describe the case or 



