26o SMITH ; ON THE GENUS SCUTUS. 



Notwithstanding Schumacher's affirmation I feel convinced 

 that he had ?iot before him the actual Chemnitzian type. 



To me it seems most improbable, nay almost impossible, that 

 the latter author should describe both in Latin and German the 

 anterior end "as if truncated," and that his artist should also draw 

 that part of the specimen likewise truncate if indeed it were not so. 



Schumacher's figure represents the broad form of 6'. anatmus 

 with both ends pretty equally rounded. It is also larger and the 

 sculpture, as far as one may judge, different from that of Chemnitz's 

 specimen. The figure of this species in Montfort's work, under 

 the name of S. antipodes, represents a very large specimen, con- 

 siderably larger than any I have seen, yet having the same truncate 

 character at the anterior end with a broad yet distinct sinuation. 

 Another feature worth noticing is that when the shell rests on the 

 lateral margins both ends are almost always somewhat raised. It 

 is easily distinguishable from S. anatinus by its considerably 

 shorter form and the squarish truncate anterior end. 



Parmoplwrus breviculus of Blainville is I believe the same 

 species as that described by Chemnitz. At all events his type 

 being in the museum we are enabled to know with certainty 

 which species he had before him. He described the animal as 

 generally shorter in all parts and refers to the proportional 

 shortness of the shell, which only covers the anterior part of the 

 body, whilst in Scutus anatinus on the contrary it covers nearly 

 the entire length. The species is exclusively found in New 

 Zealand as far as I can ascertain. Montfort gives this locality, 

 which is an additional reason for concluding that the shell he 

 figured belonged to this species, and besides this he quotes 

 Chemnitz's figure as representing his own species. 



Fig. I of the above wood cut gives a dorsal view of the 

 animal, showing the position of the shell. Fig. 2 is the type 

 specimen described by Blainville as Pai-mophorus breviculus. Fig. 

 3 a larger example, 



J.C, ii., Sept., 1879 



