462 STUDIES ON AUSTRALIAN MOLLUSCA, X., 



several species before him, one of which was Volutomitra grbn- 

 landica Beck. Binomial writers have bestowed on his shell the 

 following names — Voluta nigra Gmelin, 1791; Mitra castanea, 

 Bolten, 1798; and Mitra melaniana Lamarck, 1811. To this an 

 Australian shell was subsequently referred. 



But at that early date Chemnitz had received no Australian 

 shells except those collected by Captain Cook's party. Figs. 1430 

 and 1431 of PI. 1 51 of Chemnitz, exhibit a shell with less pointed 

 spire, more rapidly increasing whorls, fewer and less oblique 

 plications — clearly a distinct species from the Australian shell 

 usually known as M. melaniana. 



The Australian shell appears to have been first distinguished 

 by Swainson in 1822. Ten years afterwards he resumed the 

 study of it, stating that Lamarck had confused two species under 

 one name; and that, whereas he, Swainson, had first intended to 

 call the Australian one " carbonaria" leaving "melaniana" for 

 the other, further consideration induced him " to alter this 

 arrangement," and to figure " a full-sized specimen received from 

 Australia" of carbonaria under the title of M. melaniana Lamarck. 

 The type of M. carbonaria was in the Manchester Museum. 



Mr. E. A. Smith writes to me of Volutomitra digna A. Adams,* 

 " I agree with Tryon in placing this shell with M. nigra = mela- 

 niana. I am quite sure that it is merely an immature example 

 of that species." 



As Mitra nigra, Angas recorded the species from Sydney 

 Harbour,! and, as M. melaniana, Pritchard & Gatliff mention it 

 from Eastern Victoria. { 



LlTIOPA MELAN0ST0MA Rang. 



Rang, Ann. Sci. Nat. xvi. 1829, p.307. 



(Plate x., figs. 30-31.) 

 Different views on the division of Litiopa are held by various 

 writers. Thus Watson§ regards it as a single " species of 



* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1854(1855), p. 135; Thes. Conch, iv., Mitra p.6, P1.361 r 

 f.115. 



t Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, p. 193. 



X Proc. Koy. Soc. Vict. xi. 1899, p. 186. 



§ Chall. Rep. Zool. xv. 1886, p. 572. 



