332 JOURNAL OF CONCHOLOGY. 



NOTES ON MITRA (COSTELI.ARIA) RUGOSA 



(Swainson). 



By JAMES COSMO MELVILL, M.A., F.L.S. 



(Read before the Conchological Society, Dec. 15th, i£ 



In an appendix to the Catalogue of the celebrated collection of 

 shells belonging to the Earl of Tankerville, dispersed in 1825, 

 the elder Mr. Sowerby gave short accounts of a few of the rarer 

 or more curious species there contained. Amongst them is to 

 be found a fair description of the then as now unique mollusc, 

 Afitra rugosa (Swainson), which was numbered 2097 in the 

 catalogue. It is worth while transcribing this as follows, pp. 

 xxvii. xxviii. : — 



" M. testa, siibfusifonni, perforata, ttirrita, riigosa, decus- 

 '•' satim sulcata ; anfi-actibus a?igulatts, anfractu basali medio 

 " contract 0, basi subrecurvd.^' 



" Shell subfusiform, perforated, turreted, rough with 

 " decussated grooves, whorls angulated, basal whorl contracted 

 " in the middle, base subrecurved." 



" Obs. The shape of this curious species comes nearest 

 " to that of Af. costellarls, but the spire is longer in proportion, 

 " and the basal part less contracted. The whole shell is 

 " rendered very rough by numerous deep grooves, which are 

 " decussated at nearly equal distances ; the interstices resemble 

 " excavated hollows, and make the elevated parts granulated ; 

 " the volutions are obtusely angulated, and the middle of the 

 " body whorl contracted. Throat striated ; outer lip crenated, 

 " base slightly recurved, pillar five-plaited, colour pale, slightly 

 " clouded with brown. Length ij\y in." 



Thus wrote Mr. Sowerby, and his description is so accurate 

 as hardly to need comment. We should hardly, however, have 

 compared the shell before us to Af. costellaris (Lam.). 



J.C v., July, 1S88. 



