— W. Prescott on a new species of Chiton. 
naturally be the first to dry,) is mainly of a chesnut-red, while 
the sides, together with some irregular blotches on the back, are 
of a dark brown, approaching in many places to black—ocea- 
sioned, no doubt, by incipient putrefaction previous to becoming 
ry: 
The whole length of the specimen is 68 inches; grea 
breadth, 3:1 inches; greatest perpendicular height, 17 sc - 
The coat of mail, or shell-like covering, which gives shape and 
form to the whole animal, is ovate-oblong, convex above, consid- 
erably narrowed before and much wider posteriorly. It consists 
of eight testaceous pieces, or valves, which are imbricate (over- 
1. 
Outline of 4th and 5th valves of C@. Californicus, natural size. 
lapping each other), with the extremities of their anterior wings 
deeply imbedded and concealed beneath the skin or mantle. 
Valves apes, destitute either of sna 3 of growth or geometrical 
markings and ‘not carinated. A convex tubercle or prominence 
occupies the centre of the dorsal ees mr each, being most er 
inent on the 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 8th, much less so on the 4t: 
Sth, while on the Ist and 6th ini in the form of an elo: 
ge- n the latter en 
