230 



The Leech is one of the Land Leeches, with a lunate head, similar 

 to those received from Ceylon. 



The British Museum has also received in a collection of reptiles 

 and fishes, obtained in Siam by Mr. Mouhot, two specimens of a 

 species of Newt, which is so exceedingly like the Plethodon gluti- 

 nosum of North America in external appearance, that is to say in 

 form, size, and colour, and also in the distribution of the palatine 

 teeth, that I was at first inclined to regard them as specimens of the 

 American animal which had been sent to Siam. But I cannot believe 

 this to be the case, as they were inclosed in a bottle contahiing several 

 kinds of reptiles, which are evidently all natives of Siam. I may 

 observe that this is the first time that any species of Newt has been 

 received from Continental India. 



I propose to designate the Siamese species 



Plethodon persimilis. (PI. XIX., fig. 2.) 



Black, white-speckled, the specks closer and more abundant on 

 the sides ; the hind toes elongate, unequal. Tail compressed. 

 Hab. Siam. 



The only character that I can find between the two specimens re- 

 ceived from Siam, and some twenty or more of P. glutinosum from 

 different parts of the United States in the Museum collection, is that 

 the toes of the hind e feet appeared rather longer, more slender, and 

 unequal in length, and the tail much more compressed. 



8. Description of Scapha maria-emma, a New Species of 

 Volute. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., etc. 



(Mollusca, PI. XLVIII.) 



Mr. Cuming kindly sent to me a specimen of Volute, which had 

 been sent to him by Mr. Jamrach, who received it from Singapore. 

 It is most probably from some of the Malayan Islands, Singapore 

 being merely the entrepot. The specimen is unfortunately not in a 

 very good condition, being rather sponge-eaten on the hinder part of 

 the body whorl, and having a small hole on the spire ; but it is 

 otherwise in a'perfect state, with its proper outer lip, so as to be in a 

 good state for description. 



It combines the characters of several species. It has the large, 

 regular, smooth-whorled, spired nucleus, of Scapha aulica, S. des- 

 hayesii, S. luteostoma, &c, the fusiform shape of Scapha rutila, 

 and especially of the smooth variety of S. aulica ; but it is entirely 

 differently coloured from both of them and all the other large species 

 of the genus, the colouring resembling that of Amoria undulata. 

 Indeed some conchologists* to whom I have shown the specimen, 

 have regarded it as a very large specimen of the latter species, which 

 has lost its external polished coat, and with a larger nucleus than 

 usual. 



A careful examination of the shell at once shows the fallacy of such 



