Dr. H. Woodward — On Fossil Shells from Sumatra. 547 



recent-looking Melania shells (Figs. 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13) may, after 

 all, prove to be exceedingly well-preserved fossils from the same 

 series of clays of Tertiary age. 



Dimensions of cast : — Height 60 mm. ; breadth 25 mm. 



Formation : — From white Tertiary Clay-marl. 



Locality : — Government of the West Coast of Sumatra. 



80. Melania pyramis (Benson), Reeve. PI. XV. Fig. 11 a, b. 



Shell elongated, fusiform, whorls 9-10 in number, slightly con- 

 vex, finely striated spirally, maculated, smooth, suture very distinct ; 

 body-whorl nearly equalling the height of the spire ; aperture entire, 

 oval, pointed above, outer lip sharp, columella smooth. 



Dimensions : — Height 20 mm. : breadth 7 mm. 



My colleague, Mr. Edgar Smith, has kindly assisted me in the 

 examination of this shell, which agrees very well in most of its cha- 

 racters with the Melania pyramis (Benson, Reeve, Conchologia Iconica, 

 xii. sp. 51), a Bornean species, the type of which is preserved in the 

 British Museum. The spiral sculpture is much the same in character, 

 but is only obsolete on a part of the last whorl, and not altogether 

 absent, as described by Reeve. In this statement he is scarcely 

 justified, for on carefully examining the figured specimen, a few 

 spiral strias can be distinctly traced ; two other recent examples are 

 sculptured to the same extent on the last three or four whorls, as in 

 the Sumatran specimen ; both the Bornean and Sumatran shells 

 agree in having a deeply canaliculated suture. 



Formation: — (Subfossil ?) Tertiary. 



Locality : — Government of the West Coast of Sumatra. 



81. Melania sublactea, H. Woodw. PI. XV. Fig. 12. 



Shell elongated, fusiform, whorls nine in number, somewhat 

 convex ; body- whorl equalling the height of the spire ; without 

 colour-bands or ornamentation, save fine longitudinal stria? ; suture 

 distinct, aperture somewhat small, entire, oval, pointed posteriorly ; 

 outer lip sharp, columella smooth. 



Dimensions : — Height 17 mm. ; breadth 7 mm. 



This shell resembles the Melania lactea in form, but the whorls 

 are less in number (7), and are not quite so convex; the columellar 

 border of the recent shell is thickened, which is not the case with 

 the fossil one. 



Formation: — (Subfossil ?) Tertiary. 



Locality : — Government of the West Coast of Sumatra. 



82. Melania costata, Quoy and Gaimard, 1834. 



Melania costata, var. glabra, H. Woodw. PL XV. Fig. 13. 



Shell subulate, elongated ; spire acute ; whorls 9, smooth, slightly 

 striped beneath the suture ; upper volutions ornamented with fine 

 spiral strias, body-whorl nearly equal in height to the spire. 



Dimensions : — Height 56 millimetres ; breadth 15 mm. 



The shell here figured appears inseparable from the Melania costata 

 of Quoy and Gaimard, 1834 (Voyage de l'Astrolabe, Zoologie, tome 

 iii. p. 155, pi. 56, figs. 34-37), one of the most variable species in 

 form and sculpture of the whole genus. Certain specimens in the 



