SPINNING MOLLUSCS. 311 



spirit specimens, and suggesting for the animals (regarded as 

 belonging to two species), the names of Bombyxinus melanostoma 

 and B. uva. 



(2). Rang, from information thus obtained, drew up a memoir, 

 and published it in 1829. He disregarded Belanger's MS. names, 

 however, and described the shells as Litiopa melanostoma and 

 L. maculata,* 



(3). Belanger (1833 ?), dissatisfied with Rang's account, gave 

 full details of his observations, the name Bombyxinus being here 

 published for the first time.t 



(4). Kiener (1833) restated Belanger's observations, and 

 united the two supposed species as Litiopa bombix.% 



(5). Eydoux and Souleyet, during the voyage of the 'Bonite,' 

 re-collected specimens from the gulf- weed, and are believed to be 

 the only naturalists, other than Belanger, who have published 

 observations on the living animal. This they did in 1839. § 



(6). Naturalists agree that the two forms should be united; 

 but Kiener's name is inadmissible (as also are those of Belanger, 

 over which the names of Rang have priority of publication). The 

 creature — with Litiopa maculata among the synonymy — is now 

 known as Litiopa melanostoma, 



(7). Nearly all the books contain accounts of the animal's 

 spinning habits. These, however, are derived from Rang and 

 Kiener (without reference to the original notes of Belanger and 

 Eydoux and Souleyet) ; the information is thus unsatisfactory ; 

 and the tale, being an often-told one, has grown considerably. 



Belanger's notes have the form of extracts from a log, and 

 are evidently the result of careful observation. It was on June 

 26th that the creature first came up with the gulf-weed, and, on 

 shaking the weed to make the animals fall, Belanger observed 

 that some remained suspended, at a considerable distance, by an 



* Bang, "Notice sur le Litiope (Litiopa), genre nouveau de Mollusque 

 gasteropode," 'Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' xvi. (1829), pp. 303-7; and 

 ' Manuel de l'Histoire Naturelle des Mollusques,' 1829, pp. 26, 197, 198. 



f Belanger, " Sur les Litiopes (Litiopa, Bang), ou Bombyxins (Bombyx- 

 inus, Belanger)," Lesson's ' Illustrations de Zoologie,' 1831 : appendix (1833 ?). 



| Kiener, " Quelques Observations sur le genre Litiope de M. Bang," 

 'Annales des Sciences Naturelles,' xxx. (1833), pp. 221-4. 



§ Eydoux and Souleyet, "Observations sur le genre Litiope,'" 'Annales 

 Francaises et Etrangeres d'Anatomie et de Physiologie,' iii. (1839), pp. 252-G. 



