282 MELVILL : NEW SPECIES OF MITRA. 



A very beautiful and peculiar shell of the subgeneric group 

 Cancilla (Swn.). The species to which it would appear most 

 nearly aUied, is the M. Philippinarum (Adams), but from this 

 it differs slightly in sculpture and entirely in marking. 



Mitra serum nosa nov. sp. PI. ii, 12. 



M. testa oblonga, tenuis Icevi, epidermide cornea tecta, olivaceo- 

 albescente, ttntnaculata^ colmnella iriplicata, apertura nune 

 albescente^ nune fulva, tenuicula. 



Long. 20 mill.^ lat. 9 mill. 



Hab. : Algoa Bay, South Africa (collected by Mr. Furse). 



Shell oblong, thin, smoothish, covered with a horny epider- 

 mis, olivaceous-whitish, without markings, columella three-plaited, 

 mouth sometimes white, sometimes tawny-coloured within, thin. 



Of this plain species, which is somewat allied to M. {Isara) 

 Schroteri (Desh.), I have two specimens, and have seen many 

 others. It will probably be eventually relegated to the genus 

 Volutomitra (Gray) when the lingual dentition of that now 

 obscure genus has been more critically examined. 



Mitra astyridiformis nov. sp. PL ii, fig. 13. 



M. testa polita, oblonga, brunnea, subcofJipressa, spira acuta, an- 

 fractibus mimitissime punctato-striatis, labia intus sinuato. 

 columella quadriplicata. 



Long. 15 mill., lat. 4 mill. 



Habitat ? 



Shell polished, oblong, brown, rather compressed, spire 

 acute, whorls very minutely puncto-striate, lip sinuate within, 

 columella four-plicate. 



This species must be placed in the subgenus Mitreola 

 (Swn.), coming near M. flexilabris (Newc). In general size and 

 appearance it first recalls a Columbelliform mollusc of the section 

 Astyris, e.g.filosa (Carp.), but when examined with a lens, the 

 whole surface is seen to be regularly and minutely pitted in 

 transverse lines, and all resemblance to the Columbellidse ceases. 



J.C, v., Jan., 1S88. 



