204 



near the mai'gins, especially the columellar, mixed with a few ex- 

 ceedingly faint minute spots lighter coloured than the ground. Base 

 nearly white, rather flat. Aperture narrow : columella somewhat 

 gihbous at the middle part : teeth, like the base, nearly white, 

 even, not minute, extending half across the lip, on which there are 

 about nineteen, coloured at their edges of a reddish brown colour, 

 forming short lines ; teeth of the columella about eighteen, forming 

 an angular, slightly elevated, serrated, longitudinal ridge, more 

 prominent at the anterior extremity ; at the two extremities the 

 teeth extend a little outwards, and are there marked, as on the lip, 

 by reddish brown little Hnes. At the anterior portion of the front 

 of the columella is a deep elongated groove, terminating outwardly 

 in a deep notch, between the end of the ridge and the beak, with 

 three or four denticulations at its inner border, not extending through 

 it from the ridge. Extremities produced ; the beaks divergent ; the 

 outer anterior and posterior beaks larger and a little longer than 

 the inner. Internal colour the same as that of the base. Spire a 

 little prominent, with a depression around it superiorly and late- 

 rally. Dorsal line almost obsolete. 



The young has no markings on the teeth. 



Length '450 of an inch; breadth -250; height •175. 



Habitat. 



Distinguished from Cypr. Cumingii by the brown lines or markings 

 on the lips ; teeth infinitely less numerous, and larger ; dark brown 

 ocellated dots on the back ; a^ erture straighter and wider ; shell 

 more elongated and less gibbous ; groove nearl)' around the spire ; 

 posterior channel more produced ; beaks more equal ; lip round ; 

 outer edge of the margin crenulated, &c. 



Cab. Cuming. 



Doctor H. Beck, the learned naturalist of Copenhagen, being at 

 this time in our capital, I have taken advantage of the circumstance 

 to date its period, by placing his name, now, to this new species of 

 Cypraa. — J. S. G. 



There was read an "Extrait du Quatrierae Rapport Annuel sur 

 les Travaux de la Society d'Histoire Naturelle de I'lle Maurice : par 

 M. Julien Desjardins." 



The communications relative to the Mammalia read before the Na- 

 tural History Society of the Mauritius in the fourth year of its ex- 

 istence have comprised an account by the secretary, M. Julien 

 Desjardins, of a Whale which he regards as the Physeter macroce- 

 phalus, Linn., that was cast ashore on an adjoining reef : and some 

 observations by the same author on several of the Mammalia of the 

 island, and particularly on the hybernation of the Tenrec, Centenes 

 spinosus. 111. ; the lethargy of which animal takes place when the 

 thermometer is not lower than 20° Cent., and even when it marks 26°. 



In ornithology M. Desjardins has also been the only contributor. 

 He has described, as new, two Birds belonging to the island, and has 

 proposed for them the names of Charadrius Nesoffallicus and Scolo- 

 pax elegans. 



