40 COLLECTIONS FEOM MELANESIA. 



transverse liraa are nodose on crossing the ribs, three in number 

 upon the upper whorls, a fourth being present upon the lower part 

 of the penultimate and sixteen to eighteen on the last. Another 

 feature worth noticing is the presence of a finer thread-like line 

 above the uppermost of the chief liree, which runs in a slight con- 

 cavity at the upper part of the whorls. 



The aperture is narrow, as is the sheU itself, not greatly contracted 

 at the canal, and occupies rather less than half the length of the 

 shell. The columella is subperpendicular, a little tortuous and 

 smooth, without lirae or tubercles. The outer lip is thickened with 

 an exterior rib, but thin and sharp at the extreme margin. It is 

 widely and semicircularly notched above just below the suture in 

 the faint concavity of the whorl, and generally in.adult shells bears 

 a small tubercle within close to or just below the sinus, with which 

 exception it is smooth. 



8. Fleurotoma (Daphnella) axis. 



Pleuiotoma axis. Reeve, Conch. Icon. fig. 311. 



Hah. Port MoUe, 14fmB. (Goppinger) ; Philippines (Ouming). 



The apical whorls of this, as in all the other species of the 

 group Daphnella, are microscopically cancellated by oblique criss- 

 cross Hues. The four or five succeeding volutions are coarsely can- 

 cellated by longitudinal costse and spiral ridges, the points of inter- 

 section being subnodose. Beyond this the remaining whorls (about 

 three in number) are destitute of the costje, exhibiting only spiral 

 ridging of different degrees of fineness and intermediate finer striae 

 crossed only by the lines of growth. 



One of these ridges towards the upper part of the whorls is 

 especially prominent, giving them a somewhat shouldered appearance, 

 and between this and the upper thickened margin there is a decided 

 concavity. The aperture is elongate, contracted anteriorly into a 

 distinct and somewhat recurving canal, together occupying a little 

 less than half the total length of the shell. The labrum is a trifle 

 thickened, presenting exteriorly a slightly swoUen appearance, has 

 a rather deep slit above at the suture, is smooth within, and crenu- 

 lated finely along the edge. 



9. Plextrotoma (Daphnella) arafurensis. (Plate IV. fig. G.) 



SheU fusiform, whitish, faintly banded with light brown, spirally 

 ridged and striated and marked with the flexuous lines of growth. 

 Whorls 7 ; two apical globose, microscopically reticulated, but ap- 

 pearing smooth under an ordinary lens, rather large ; the remain- 

 ing five are convex, a little constricted beneath the suture, and 

 spirally ridged and striated. The upper whorls have four or five 

 principal lirae, the uppermost falling just beneath the slight con- 

 striction, and the others below at equal distances. The whorls are 

 thickened at or immediately under the sut-jral line with an elevated 



