﻿smith: 
  ox 
  the 
  genus 
  vulsella. 
  311 
  

  

  Herr 
  Parreiss 
  in 
  1841, 
  are 
  rather 
  dark-coloured 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   si^ecies, 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  distinct 
  from 
  V. 
  spongiarum, 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   supposed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Cooke 
  to 
  belong. 
  

  

  4, 
  Vulsella 
  spongiakum, 
  Lamarck. 
  PI. 
  XI, 
  Fig. 
  4. 
  

  

  '^Vulsella 
  mmor, 
  Bolten, 
  Mus. 
  Bolt., 
  p. 
  156, 
  1798; 
  Dunker, 
  Jahrb. 
  

   deutsch. 
  Malak. 
  Ges., 
  vol. 
  ii, 
  p. 
  2, 
  1875. 
  

  

  V. 
  spongiarum, 
  Lamarck, 
  Anim. 
  s. 
  Vert., 
  vol. 
  vi, 
  p. 
  222 
  ; 
  Cooke, 
  

   Ann. 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist., 
  vol. 
  xvii, 
  p. 
  65, 
  1886. 
  

  

  V. 
  lingua-felis, 
  Reeve, 
  part, 
  Conch. 
  Icon., 
  fig. 
  13^. 
  

  

  V. 
  rudis, 
  Reeve, 
  op. 
  cit., 
  fig. 
  12. 
  

  

  V. 
  limcBformis, 
  Reeve, 
  figs. 
  10«, 
  b. 
  

  

  V. 
  Tamianica, 
  Reeve, 
  fig. 
  3 
  ; 
  Clessin, 
  Conch. 
  Cab., 
  pi. 
  vii, 
  fig. 
  4 
  (bad 
  

  

  copy 
  of 
  Reeve's 
  crude 
  figure). 
  

   Var. 
  = 
  V. 
  ovata, 
  Lamarck, 
  op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  222 
  ; 
  Cooke, 
  op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  66. 
  

  

  Hah. 
  — 
  Tasmania, 
  South 
  Australia, 
  Swan 
  River 
  (Brit. 
  Mus.). 
  It 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  Australia. 
  

  

  The 
  striking 
  feature 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  radiating 
  

   colour-lines 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  V. 
  vulsella, 
  V. 
  attenuata, 
  and 
  V. 
  rugosa. 
  

   Tlie 
  shells 
  are 
  mostly 
  brownish 
  or 
  livid 
  brown, 
  sometimes 
  pale 
  towards 
  

   the 
  umbones 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  valves. 
  The 
  squaraose 
  radiating 
  

   sculpture 
  is 
  finer 
  and 
  closer 
  in 
  this 
  species 
  than 
  in 
  rugosa. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Cooke 
  has 
  associated 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  V.pholadiformis, 
  uocardia, 
  

   crenulata, 
  lingua-fdis, 
  and 
  trita 
  of 
  Reeve, 
  dilatata 
  Swainson, 
  and 
  Hugelii 
  

   Kiister, 
  but 
  all 
  of 
  these, 
  excepting 
  Jy/^o/rt^//or»^^.s 
  and 
  trita, 
  I 
  regard 
  as 
  

   forms 
  of 
  V. 
  rugosa. 
  They 
  all 
  have 
  the 
  lineation 
  of 
  that 
  species 
  and 
  

   the 
  coarser 
  radiating 
  sculpture. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  V. 
  spongiamm 
  and 
  V. 
  ovata 
  are 
  so 
  different 
  

   in 
  form, 
  a 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  seems 
  to 
  connect 
  them. 
  Lamarck's 
  

   descriptions 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  are 
  so 
  brief 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  use 
  for 
  

   modern 
  purposes. 
  In 
  describing 
  spongiarum 
  the 
  sculpture 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   consist 
  of 
  transverse 
  concentric 
  rugse, 
  with 
  obsolete 
  longitudinals. 
  

   I 
  presume 
  the 
  former 
  are 
  the 
  concentric 
  lines 
  of 
  growth, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  

   rather 
  worn 
  shells 
  he 
  had 
  before 
  him, 
  are 
  to 
  the 
  unassisted 
  ej^e 
  fairly 
  

   well 
  marked 
  at 
  intervals. 
  Although 
  the 
  longitudinal 
  sculpture 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  obsolete 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  discernible 
  under 
  a 
  lens, 
  and 
  forms 
  on 
  crossing 
  

   the 
  concentric 
  strise 
  a 
  finely 
  squamate 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  sculpture 
  of 
  ovata 
  is 
  quite 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  chai'acter, 
  but 
  much 
  more 
  

   distinct 
  in 
  the 
  unique 
  shell 
  described 
  by 
  Lamarck, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  

   fresh 
  and 
  unworn 
  condition. 
  The 
  concentric 
  lines 
  of 
  growth 
  are 
  

   especially 
  evident, 
  and, 
  as 
  in 
  spongiarum, 
  are 
  squamose 
  through 
  being 
  

   cut 
  across 
  by 
  the 
  radiating 
  sculpture. 
  Of 
  the 
  latter 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  

   little 
  at 
  the 
  sides, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  principally 
  down 
  the 
  central 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  

   valves 
  that 
  it 
  occurs. 
  

  

  The 
  type 
  of 
  ovata 
  (PI. 
  XI, 
  Fig. 
  5) 
  is 
  an 
  exceptionally 
  dark- 
  

   coloured 
  specimen, 
  described 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  as 
  " 
  subviolacea 
  ". 
  

   I 
  should 
  rather 
  call 
  it 
  purplish 
  brown, 
  pale 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  towards 
  the 
  

   umbones. 
  The 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  valves 
  is 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   dark 
  purplish, 
  the 
  .sides, 
  of 
  course, 
  like 
  the 
  exterior, 
  being 
  pale. 
  

   The 
  specimens 
  of 
  V. 
  spongiarum 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  dark-coloured. 
  They 
  

  

  