514 Miscellanea us . 



Another ophiophagous species, with the Cohra hood, is Hamadryas 

 hannah of Cantor, or Maia vittata of Elliot ; a specimen of which 

 (9 feet long, and now mounted in the Museum) I obtained in the 

 Midnapore jungle. 



Mr. Layard some time ago informed me of a popular notion among 

 the natives of Ceylon respecting a "horn" which is said to grow 

 sometimes, but very rarely, on the forehead of the jackal ; and this 

 horn is regarded by them as a specific of innumerable virtues. 

 Strange to say, the same notion is equally current among the natives 

 of Bengal, who believe that it ensures the prosperity of its possessor, 

 and success in every undertaking. — E. B. — Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal, No. 206, Aug. 1849. 



On Cyprsea umbilicata and C. eximia of Sowerby. 

 By J. E. Gray, Esq. 



Cyprcea umbilicata was described from a single specimen which 

 was formerly in the Tankerville Collection and is now in the British 

 Museum. From its external resemblance to some specimens of Cy- 

 prcea Pantherina, some peculiarities in its formation, and especially 

 from certain apparent irregularities in its teeth, it has been thought 

 that it might be a monstrosity or irregular growth of that species. 



The discovery of the habitat by Mr. Gunn, who has kindly sent 

 two specimens of the species to Europe, has removed this impression, 

 and shown that it is a distinct species ; and that what was regarded 

 as the irregularities in the plaits of the front of the pillar, is in fact 

 the normal form of the species. 



Such being the case shows that the species should be removed 

 from the genus Cyprcea, as restricted in my monograph in the Zoo- 

 logical Journal, and placed in the genus Cyprovula, first described in 

 that work. 



The shell, instead of having the single large plait in front of the 

 inner lip separated from other plaits by a wide space, has the front 

 of the inner lip covered with several oblique plaits, nearly up to the 

 front edge of the notch. 



It also agrees with Cyprovula in the spire being concave or sunken, 

 forming a deep umbilicus. 



Cyprcea eximia, figured in Strzelecki's 'New South Wales and 

 Van Diemen's Land,' is a very nearly allied species, and equally a 

 Cyprovula {eximia) . It differs in the body being more globular and 

 the canal longer. Both these species are to be distinguished from 

 the other Cyprovulce by the canal at each end of the mouths being 

 more developed and produced : they also both have a somewhat an- 

 gular depression across the upper part of the anterior canal, at the an- 

 terior extremity of the dorsal line, evidently formed by the junction 

 of the two expansions of the mantle in this part. 



The elongation of the canals, and the depression above referred to, 

 are more developed in Cyprovula eximia than in Cyprovula umbilicata. 

 They are, especially the latter, the giants of the genus. The original 

 specimen of C. eximia is in the cabinet of Mr. John Morris of Ken- 

 sington. 



