THE MOLLUSCA HEDLEY. 401 



south end of the main islet of Funafuti, where the lagoon com- 

 municates with the ocean, are some clumps of Millepora rising to 

 the surface from about ten or twelve feet. On these is a colony 

 of the giant Vermetus, and built in by coral growth are Magilus 

 and Galeropsis. Near the Millepora were bushes of Plexaura, 

 among whose branches perched Avicula. A sandy flat sheltered 

 behind a long shingle bank yielded at low water Mitra episcopalis, 

 Murex ramosus and Trochus obeliscus. 



A mile to the north, where the quiet waters allowed mud to 

 settle, the gregarious Planaxis sulcatus occurred in quantities. 

 Cypraea moneta and C. caput serpentis were here abundant, and 

 to the rocks in the neighbourhood adhered Chama. Nearer the 

 village, at the spot sketched on p. 71, I found as dead shells most 

 of the small species described as new. 



A few small reefs in the lagoon opposite the village were 

 excellent collecting grounds. The sandy patches among the coral 

 were inhabited by Strombus luhuanus and S. floridus, and by 

 numerous Cerithidse, among which the large C. nodulosum was 

 conspicuous. What seemed a brilliantly coloured worm disap- 

 peared at a touch with a snap and proved to be the animal of 

 Tridacna elongata seen through the opening of the valves sunk in 

 coral. Loose coral blocks rolled over and split up yielded a 

 harvest ; under the block might be Conus rattus, C. lividus or 

 Mitra limbifera, and within it Lithodomus and Area. 



In a few hours spent on the leeward islets of the Atoll, I 

 gathered on the beach several large but dead species of Cypraea, 

 Oliva and Comis, which I had not elsewhere encountered. A 

 glimpse of a rich and distinct deep water fauna was afforded 

 by a few hauls of the tangles in 80 - 40 fathoms on the western 

 outer slope of the Atoll. Almost everything here collected appears 

 to be new to science. 



The sole representative of a fluviatile fauna was a species 

 of Melania which occurred in some abundance in the native 



wells. 



Mr. George Sweet has kindly allowed me to inspect a collec- 

 tion of shells he made on Funafuti in 1897. I have been able 

 in several cases to increase my list by species which he took, but 

 which I had not seen. 



CEPHALOPODA. 



I was unable to secure any specimens of Cephalopoda at Funa- 

 futi, though I observed traces of them, as beaks thrown up on the 

 beach and ink in the hands of the natives (p. 64). Pictures of an 

 Octopus were recognized by the natives as "feki," and of a Loligo 

 as " mofeki." I was told that on rare occasions empty 



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