BUCCINID^. 135 



is a member of the genus Ficula, Swainson, over which it has 

 priority, and instead of which it should therefore be adopted. 

 Cassidulns, Humphrey, has priority over Melongena, but I 

 cannot adopt it as it is a mere catalogue name. 



BULBiFUSUS, Conrad. Not characterized. M. inauratus,Conr. 

 (r= Ftisus Fittonii^ljea.) (li, 49). Eocene; Claiborne, Ala. 



CORNULINA, Conr. Not characterized. M. armigera^ Conr. 

 (= Fusus Taitii^ Lea) (li, 48). Eocene. 



LEiosTOMA, Swains, 1840. (Sj^cum, Bayle, 1880.) Fusiform, 

 ventricose in the middle,entirely smooth, almost polished ; inner 

 lip thickened and vitreous ; base of the pillar very straight. M. 

 bulbiformis, Lam. (li, 49). Grignon. 



A comparison of numerous specimens indicates the very close 

 relationship of Bulbifusus, Conr., with this group. Bayle has 

 changed the name to Sycum, because Leiostoma is preoccupied 

 by Lacepede in Fishes. I cannot concur in such changes, which 

 would completely unsettle our nomenclature. 



Hemifusus, Swainson, 18^0. 



Syn. — Cochlidium, Gray. 



JDistr. — 6 sp. W. Coast Africa, West Indies, Peru, Philip- 

 pines, Australia, Indian Ocean. 



Shell subfusiform, uncolored or light yellowish ; spire shorter 

 than the aperture, ponderous ; whorls armed with compressed 

 spines upon the shoulder ; aperture long ovate, with an ascending 

 internal canal ^t the hind-part, produced into a moderate wide 

 canal anteriorly ; columella smooth ; outer lip simple. Oper- 

 culum unknown. 



Besides being thinner, the shells of this genus are distin- 

 guished from Melongena, by being white (without bands or 

 other color-markings) under a light yellowish brown epidermis. 

 They differ from Fusus in the flexuous, wider, open canal, which 

 is widened gradually into the lower portion of the aperture. 



THATCHERIA, Augas. Shell angularly pyriform, solid ; spire 

 prominent, shorter than the aperture, many-whorled, whorls 

 flattened above, strongly keeled at the periphery and contracted 

 below ; aperture with a broad incurved sinus between the 

 extremity of the last keel and the junction of the body-whorl ; 

 basal canal wide and open ; columella smooth ; outer lip simple 

 below the sinus. T. mirabilis, Angas (xlix, 5). 



That this shell is a scalariform monstrosity cannot be doubted, 

 but what may be its normal form is not so readily ascertained. 

 I saw the single specimen from which the above generic descrip- 

 tion was made, in London, in 1871, and was immediately con- 

 vinced that the conical form, flattened shoulders and sinus were 

 all due to distorted growth. 



