t 365 ] 



INTELLIGENCE, 



ZOOLOGICAL. 



Patella parva, Da Costa.- — This shell, on the authority of M atoll 

 and Racket, has been considered synonymous with the P. virginea 

 of Muller by all our recent writers. Dr Fleming threw out a hint 

 that it may have been confounded on our shores with the P. tessu- 

 lata of Muller, but he took no pains to ascertain the fact* My at- 

 tention was first called to the point by the statement of Audouin and 

 Milne-Edwards that the animal of the ic Patelles roses" found in the 

 English channel differed entirely in the structure of its branchiae 

 from the true Patellae, and formed a new genus of pectinibranchous 

 mollusca allied to the Turbines. (Hist. Nat. du Litt. de la France, 

 i. p. 144.) Mr J. E. Gray informed me that these " Patelles roses" 

 were the same as the P. virginea of our shores, but on examining 

 these, I soon satisfied myself that those found on the coast of Ber- 

 wickshire at least were formed like the Patella, the cloak of the ani- 

 mal being ciliated all round with a fringe of short equal filaments. 

 The accuracy of this observation I have recently had occasion to con- 

 firm in company with my friend Mr J. Alder. It follows, therefore, 

 that the shell usually called Patella virginea by British concholo- 

 gists, is not that so named by Muller, but is probably his P. tessu- 

 lata, in which the margin of the cloak is ciliated. 



Is the Patella pulchel/a of Forbes in Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 Vol. viii. p. 591, fig. 61, a Patella or a Lottia ? — G. J. 



Zoology of Africa. — Our readers are by this time aware that Dr 

 Andrew Smith has lately returned from an expedition undertaken 

 to explore the interior of Southern Africa, and that he has brought 

 to this country the whole of his collections in Natural History, which 

 are now publicly exhibited in London. In the published catalogue 

 of part of this collection there are the names of 62 mammalia, and 

 339 birds : there is besides an extensive series of drawings, MSS., 

 &c with other materials fully to illustrate the districts traversed ; 

 and in furtherance of his plan Dr Smith is about to commence print- 

 ing a work to be entitled, " The Zoology of Southern Africa," em- 

 bellished with highly finished plates, executed from the original 

 drawings. On the authority of an individual on whose judgment 

 we can rely, we are able to say that the materials are most valuable. 



