FiNLAY.—Additions to Recent Molluscan Fauna of New Zealand. 525 
Pliocene beds, and the still earlier C. fibrata (M. & M.) is much closer to 
C. pyra than to C. labiata. The separation 4 these two as species seems 
therefore justified. 
‘Hedley (Biol. Res. “ Endeavour,” vol. 2, pt. 2, p. 68) has described a 
species as Cassidea stadialis, iain s on its resemblance to C. pyra 
(Lamk.) and C. turgida (Reeve). The writer was lately fortunate in 
obtaining several fine nue eee of Hedley's species from off Otago Heads, 
l 
but, as in the case o ia euclia Hedley, in much shallower water 
than the Australian ty res Hedley's account is not easily available, 
and these Cassids are such variable and similar кени, a full description 
and figures of the New Zealand shells are here given 
Cassidea stadialis — € (Plate 52, figs. 3a, 3b, 3c.) 
Shell large, inflated, thin, almost smooth. Whorls 8, inde strongly 
and regularly convex, never angled ; much inflated, especially ne e base ; 
keels obsolete (but traces are sometimes barely visible on parts of the body- 
upper whorls. Base quite destitute of grooves; the whole surface covered, 
as in P. labiatum (Perry) and P. pyrum (Lamk.), with extremely fine and 
dense spirals. One of the specimens has a strong varix marking the 
position of a former outer lip, at about 240^ from the mouth of the shell ; 
this is abnormal for Cassidea. Colour very distinctive and striking. The 
whole shell is a uniform glossy fawn-amber tint, suffused with orange or 
pink. Bands of darker colour are practically absent, and when present 
number about four and are distinct only near the outer lip; ; Spots 2 never 
present. The interior is of the same colour as the exterior with a few 
milky patches, very highly polished and in places opaline. Outer lip 
china-white inside, the edge sometimes with 4 dark patches marking the 
position of the bands. Height of spire variable, but generally well over 
one-third height of aperture.  Protoconch small, obtuse, not sharply 
marked off. Aperture and columella normal. Outer lip thin, quite ure 
no trace of denticles or furrows on its lower part. mbilicus, 
C. pyra (Lamk.), widely open, due to the extension of the inner lip as а thick 
twisted plate some distance ig eee the columella. 
iameter, 60 mm., 54 mm., 61 mm., 60 mm. ; height, 91 mm., 88 mm., 
85 mm., 93 mm. ; height of aperture 64 mm., 63 mm., 65 mm., m. 
Four specime ens in the author's collection, one in the Otago Museum, 
. trawled in about 20 fathoms between Otago Heads and Waikouaiti 
This large and beautiful shell is a noteworthy addition to our r fauna. 
The five specimens were presented to the author by the fisherman who 
obtained them in the living state, and the following account was given of 
their capture : "Seve ral years ago, while the trawl-boats were at work, 
the nets were brought up laden with these shells, the sea-bottom being 
evidently thick with them. The men rightly deemed this strange, as they 
had never seen them before, and specimens were taken home as curios. 
Most of these have by this time probably been lost or dispersed, and the 
author was fortunate in Еч the last remnant of the considerable number 
once possessed by the donor. The species was never found again, possibly 
because the remainder elated to the deep water which, in Australia, 
seems to be the natural habitat of the species. The sudden swarm in 
