Descriptions of New Sjecies of Bvllia and Marginclia. 493 



6picuou8. Riglit lip smooth, while, constricted ahout midway, ex- 

 ternally slightly reflected, and faintly tinged with orange. Columel- 

 lar folds four, all ohlique, the lower two the most so, and converging 

 into one at their anterior termination. 



Length 0.6 inches (15 millimetres). Breadth 0.28 inches (7 

 millimetres). 



Habitat. — Philippine Islands. 



Remarks. — This species is very closely related to the M. avena 

 Valenc, and may be regarded as the eastern analogue of that spe- 

 cies. It however attains a largersize, its spire is shorter and more 

 obtuse, and its right lip is more inflected, and more thickened ex- 

 ternally. G. B. Sowerby, jr., in his recent monograph has well 

 discriminated between the two species; but is, I think," decidedly 

 wrong in applying the name avena to the eastern species, and in 

 describing the West India species as new under the title of M- 

 varia. By reference to Kiener's original figure and description of 

 M. avena, (so named in MSS. by Valenciennes,) it will be seen to 

 better represent the shell called M. varia by Sowerby than the 

 one under discussion, while tho habitat is there explicitly stated to 

 be "the seas of the West Iudies." If this be so, Sowerby's M 

 varia must reassume the name of M. avena, justifying us in apply- 

 ing anew title to the species above described. 



The recent monograph of the genus Marginella by G. B. Sow- 

 erby, jr., in the Thesaurus Concliyliorum, is a most valuable con- 

 tribution to our knowledge of this genus. The number of species 

 known to Lamarck of the genera Marginella and Volvaria, (now 

 generally united) was 29, which in the edition by Deshayes are in- 

 creased to 44. Kiener's monograph, including the supplement, 

 enumerates 56 species. The Thesaurus, while it excludes several 

 species now referred to the genus Erato, describes and figures 108 

 species, of which 18 now appear for the first time. In general, the 

 figures are characterislic, and the species well defined. It may not 

 be amiss, however, to point out what seem to be a few errors in 

 the determinations and synonomy of the work referred to. 



