INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, PHILADELPHIA. I O3 



In F. distans (recent) the nucleus is smaller than the first whorl, smooth, 

 subglobular, and is followed by a nearly smooth half whorl ; then the succeed- 

 ing coils to the number of two are faintly spirally sulcate, with two or three 

 channels behind the periphery and ten or fifteen in front of it. The shell soon 

 becomes perfectly smooth and remains so, except on the canal. It is colored 

 with a peculiar flammulated or transversely nebulous pattern of livid olive 

 which fades to brown on a creamy white ground. The nuclear whorls are 

 uniformly brownish at first, but in adults have usually become paler than the 

 rest of the shell by fading. 



In F. apicina the nucleus is swollen and often larger than the first succeed- 

 ing whorl. The latter is sculptured with numerous equal, distinct, transverse 

 ribs extending across the whorl and without spiral sculpture. The spirals 

 appear suddenly in the shape of about five strong, flatfish, elevated bands, of 

 which the two anterior are shorter than the rest. The transverse ribs become 

 more distant and are visible only as the spirals rise and become swollen in 

 passing over them. There are about ten to the whorl of these waves or riblets ; 

 they are strong at the periphery, but do not reach the sutures. The fossils 

 preserve their color well in many specimens and show the nucleus pale or 

 white, the spirals remain pale in front of the suture and where they are swollen 

 on the crests of the waves ; between the waves and in front of the 

 peripher}' the color is dark reddish brown, so that the nodules stand out 

 prominently b}'^ contrast. After the third or fourth whorl this sculpture fades 

 away and the color seems to have been nearly uniform dark reddish brown, 

 with a tendency to a white band or bands in front of the suture. No trans- 

 verse flammulations appear anywhere. The surface is smooth and there is an 

 internal presutural elevated rib as in F. distans. In the type and all the 

 varieties there are from five to eight spiral narrow dark lines on the body- 

 whorl. These spirals are harder than the rest of the shell and in decorticated 

 specimens of the fossils often appear as slightly elevated lines. 



Fasciolaria (distans var. ?) monooingulata Dall. 



Caloosahatchie beds. 



This variety may be the result of parasitism or disease, but, however pro- 

 duced, the differences are too marked to leave unnoticed. The fossils resem- 

 ble the recent F. distnns, but have a deeply impressed line in front of the 

 suture and usually on the last two whorls another behind the suture, but less 

 strong. These make the suture much more prominent than in the recent 

 shell and its margin is usually somewhat crenulated. It is possible that this 

 may be due to some annelid building its tube along the suture and so produc- 

 ing an abnormal growth, as is sometimes seen in recent shells ; but some 

 young specimens show the gradual progress of this margination from the very 

 apex, which would hardly agree with the above suggestion. 



