﻿23 
  

  

  NOTE 
  ON 
  THE 
  VERY 
  YOUNG 
  STAGE 
  OF 
  THE 
  GENUS 
  

   HUMPHREYIA. 
  

  

  By 
  Edgar 
  A. 
  Smith, 
  I.S.O. 
  

  

  Read 
  lOth 
  December, 
  1909. 
  

  

  (Published 
  by 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  Tnistees 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum.) 
  

  

  Whilst 
  on 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  England 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1907, 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  Gabriel 
  

   very 
  kindly 
  placed 
  in 
  my 
  hands 
  for 
  examination 
  a 
  small 
  Mollusc 
  

   which 
  he 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  very 
  young 
  form 
  of 
  Sumplireyia 
  Strangei. 
  

   It 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  dredging 
  in 
  about 
  4 
  fathoms, 
  on 
  4th 
  December, 
  1905, 
  

   off 
  Phillip 
  Island, 
  Western 
  Port 
  Bay, 
  Victoria, 
  on 
  a 
  stony 
  bottom, 
  

   and 
  associated 
  with 
  Clavagella 
  multangular 
  is, 
  Tate. 
  

  

  I 
  regi'et 
  that 
  beyond 
  giving 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  its 
  superficial 
  characters 
  

   I 
  am 
  at 
  present 
  not 
  in 
  a 
  position 
  to 
  furnish 
  any 
  detailed 
  information 
  

   respecting 
  its 
  internal 
  organization. 
  Dr. 
  Bidewood, 
  who 
  very 
  kindly 
  

   examined 
  the 
  unique 
  specimen, 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  preservation 
  

   was 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  good 
  to 
  justify 
  any 
  expenditure 
  of 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  

   way 
  of 
  a 
  minute 
  study. 
  He 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  collector 
  should 
  be 
  

   prevailed 
  upon 
  to 
  endeavour 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  complete 
  series 
  of 
  specimens, 
  

   from 
  the 
  youngest 
  stage 
  to 
  the 
  full-grown, 
  when 
  the 
  working 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  anatomical 
  details 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  much 
  interest. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  

   be 
  hoped, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Gabriel 
  may 
  have 
  the 
  opportunity 
  some 
  

   day 
  of 
  acting 
  on 
  Dr. 
  Ilidewood's 
  suggestion, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  good 
  series 
  of 
  

   specimens 
  may 
  thus 
  become 
  available 
  for 
  investigation 
  by 
  the 
  

   anatomist. 
  

  

  Shell 
  

  

  HuMPHEEYIA 
  StKANGEI, 
  JUV. 
  

  

  very 
  small, 
  5 
  mm. 
  long, 
  4 
  high, 
  consisting 
  only 
  of 
  two 
  

  

  flattish 
  valves 
  which 
  are 
  placed 
  over 
  the 
  dorsal 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  ovate- 
  

   globose 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  animal, 
  covering 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  portion 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  

  

  Fig. 
  I, 
  right 
  valve, 
  exterior 
  ; 
  Fig. 
  II, 
  right 
  valve, 
  interior 
  ; 
  Fig. 
  Ill, 
  left 
  valve, 
  

   interior, 
  showing 
  hinge-ligament. 
  

  

  diverging 
  at 
  the 
  umbones 
  at 
  about 
  a 
  right 
  angle. 
  They 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  

   closely 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  exhibit, 
  witliin, 
  faint 
  anterior 
  to 
  

   posterior 
  adductor 
  scars. 
  Externally 
  the 
  valves 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  

  

  