DESCKiPTlONS OF CARIBBEAN MIOCENE FOSSILS. 341 



for dividing this species into three : viz., the original pugilis, promtnus, Sby,, and 

 brfrons, Sby., I cannot agree with him. I have noted carefully also his description 

 of his species pugiloides, in Geol. Magazine, 1874. 



Naturally, living in the West Indies, and being an enthusiastic collector and 

 careful student, it is impossible that Mr. Guppy should have failed to have seen 

 large numbers of these shells ; and to contradict him with authority, one must have 

 had equal advantages. This I claim. I have handled, sorted, arranged, and re- 

 arranged hundreds of the fossil forms, and have failed to find the dividing lines. 

 AVith fewer specimens the task would have been easier. So much for the fossils. 

 As to the recent ; I once made an excavation in a kitchen-midden in Samana, made 

 up almost exclusively of this species. On that occasion I am sure it is no exag- 

 geration to say that at least twenty tons of the shells of Strombus pugilis were 

 thrown out under my inspection, and that when I was working at the fossils, and 

 had the question of specific identity strongly in my mind. I think I know the 

 species, and persist in my synonymy, adding pugiloides to the list. 



I found one or two specimens at Sapote, Costa Eica. 



TURRITELLA, Lam. 



T. ALTILIRATA, Con., PI. 44, fig. 9, 9a. 



id., Conrad, Pacific Railroad Report, vol. 6, p. T2, PI. 5, fig. 19. 



There is little to be said in describing this species. Mr. Conrad's original 

 specimen corresponded with our figure 9, in which the two principal ribs on the 

 whorl are of nearly equal size. Another variety, found by me, has the upper rib 

 very much smaller. All of the specimens are marked by such strong, rough lines 

 of growth, that the large ribs always, and the small ones sometimes, present 

 decided headings. 



Figures. Natural size. 



The specimens figured are from Sapote, Costa Rica. The species was origin- 

 ally described from Gatun, on the Panama E,. E., whence there are now specimens 

 in the Academy's museum from the Newberry collection. 



On placing this shell beside specimens of Guppy's 1. tornata, the only points 

 of difference that I can find are, first — its much greater size always — I have 

 never seen a tornata as large as the smallest altilirata that has come into my pos- 

 session. Again, while both species possess two principal ribs, altilirata always has 

 a few more finer intermediate ribs ; a character,- however, in which it varies much 

 more within itself than it difi'ers from Dominican specimens of Guppy's species. 



