268 The Journal of the Indian Archipelago. 



pronounce any to be different from those found in the adjacent seas ; 

 the forms of most of them are perfect, and in a few the colour is 

 preserved, but they have for the most part lost their hardness, being 

 readily crushed between the fingers. The kinds most abundant are 

 as follows : — Placenta placuna, Strombus incisus, S. labiosus, several 

 species of Nassa, Columbella, Trochus, Cerithium, Mitra, Turritella, 

 Dentalium Aspergillum, Area, Venus, Corbula, Tellina and others. 

 I am informed by Mr. Thomson, the Government Surveyor, that 

 wherever he has had occasion to make excavations in the low ground 

 of Singapore, similar appearances present themselves, that in all the 

 brick-pits the clay is of the same description and also contains shells ; 

 moreover, that in the Kallang valley, corals similar to existing 

 species are to be found at the depth of six feet ; add to this the fact 

 that the growth of coral is yearly diminishing the depth of water 

 in the neighbourhood, a good example of which is seen at the 

 entrance to New Harbour where there is a small-peaked island, 

 between which and Singapore, the coral has grown so rapidly, that it 

 is thought the island will in a very few years form a part of Singapore ; 

 taking therefore all these circumstances into consideration, I conceive 

 that the existence of shells in such situations may be rationally ac- 

 counted for on the supposition, that most of the valley ground of 

 Singapore was originally sea, and has been altered and adapted to the 

 use of man, chiefly if not solely, through the agency of coral." 



The remainder of the paper we give in full. 



" Most of the shells in the annexed list may be found described in 

 any work of reference on this subject. I shall therefore merely notice 

 individually a few whose exterior forms, or the peculiar habits of their 

 inhabitants, are not, so far as I am aware, very generally known. 



" The Magilus antiquus has lately been found north of Penang in 

 the neighbourhood of Junk Ceylon, the natives set some value on 

 them, and occasionally wear them as ornaments ; the shell is sin- 

 gular, and apt to be mistaken for a petrifaction, being dense in struc- 

 ture, diaphanous, and much like alabaster. It has been often figured 

 and described by naturalists, but the animal inhabiting it, is, I believe, 

 unknown, unless described in some very recent publication : it is 





